Harsh Paintbrush
Castilleja hispida
Brushy spikes tipped with flame-red bracts color Northwest prairies and bluffs in spring. Like other paintbrushes it's hemiparasitic, tapping the roots of grasses and lupines nearby.
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1.5–1.5 ft
- Spacing
- 0.5–1 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- March, April, May, June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- red
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, hummingbirds
- Landscape uses
- foundation, container
- Native states
- CA, ID, MT, OR, WA
Related native plants
More Castilleja species
- Texas Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa)
- Purple Owl's-clover (Castilleja exserta)
- Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata)
- Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)
- Scarlet Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
- Wyoming Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia)