Scrophulariaceae

Castilleja pilosa

Hairy Yellow Paintbrush

Upright or often spreading on ground before stem rises upward. Stems hairy. Leaves linear to lance-shaped, entire or 3-lobed. Flower head 1–8 in. long; bracts green to purplish, wide-spreading, with white margins, divided with 3–5 lobes. Flower pale yellow-green or pinkish. Grows in rocky slopes with sagebrush, barren alpine slopes, at mid to high elevations. Var. pilosa has curly hairs. Var. longispica, with clusters of purplish stems, grows in Wallowa Mountains at high elevations. Pilosa means "covered with short, weak, thin hairs."

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Flowering Time: Mid Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 6--14 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe, Alpine, Subalpine
• Found In: Steens, Wallowas
• Native: Yes