Scrophulariaceae

Castilleja chromosa

Desert Paintbrush

Clustered, erect, without glands. Stems stiff, brittle, often branched, finely haired. Leaves with fine short and long hairs. Basal leaves linear, entire; upper leaves deeply divided, 3–7 linear lobes. Bracts and calyx similar, upper 1/2 usually bright red to red-orange to yellow, never purple. Flower tube twice as long as calyx, with upper tip slender and pointed. Grows in Great Basin, sagebrush-steppe, deserts. Often confused with closely related C. angustifolia.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Mid Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 12--35 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Wallowas
• Native: Yes