Scrophulariaceae

Castilleja thompsonii

Thompson's Paintbrush

Upright cluster, greenish yellow, hairy. Stems simple or branched. Leaves narrow or divided into narrow segments covered with short hairs. Flower bracts divided; 5 lobes with center widest, tips slightly rounded. Grows on thin rocky soils and lava flows, with the host plant Artemisia rigida, stiff sagebrush, throughout steppe regions, at mid elevations to above timberline on Mount Adams. Endemic to the Columbia Basin, where it is commonly encountered.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 8--12 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Wallowas
• Native: Yes