Species Detail Forb

Flowers		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Castilleja minor - lesser Indian paintbrush Synonyms: Castilleja spiralis, C. stenantha, C.stenantha ssp. spiralis Other Common Names: smallflower Indian paintbrush, alkalai Indian paintbrush Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub Family: Scrophulariaceae
Flowers


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Leaves Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	Plant Sue Carnahan @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)

Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native Life Cycle: Annual or perennial Similar Species: Castilleja exilis
General Desc: Upright with a mostly unbranched slender stem and narrow leaves. Showy petal-like green bracts tipped with bright red grow in a spike-like cluster at the stem top just below the yellow to reddish flowers which are nearly hidden by green leaf-like sepals.
Identification notes: Only paintbrush that is usually annual; leaves narrow, glandular; lower 2/3 of flower bracts green, tips red; sepals green; fused 2-lipped petals just peek out from the sepals, upper lip appearing beak-like and yellow, lower lip shorter, toothed, reddish.
Height: To 31-1/2 inches

Habitat

Habitat Description: Usually in moist soils, near springs, streambanks and in wet meadows.
Plant Communities: Riparian
Elevation: 3000 - 7500 feet

Flower Characteristics

Color: Yellow to reddish Shape: Inconspicuous in elongated clusters Tubular: Y Flowering Period: Apr - Aug
Description: Flowers are about 1 inch and enclosed by a ring of green modified leaves (sepals) from which they barely peek out. Flowers are 2-lipped. The upper lip is yellow with a long tip and the lower lip is shorter and reddish with backward curving teeth.

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green Leaf Type: Simple Leaf Shape: Narrow Leaf Margin: Smooth Leaf Attachment: Alternate Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems Spines: N
Leaf Description: Narrow leaves are stalkless, 1-1/2 to 4 inches long, 1/16 to 1/4 inch wide near the base, soft-textured with 1 or 3 prominent ribs. Leaves grow at well-spaced intervals along the stem. Both leaves and stems are covered with short soft hairs and glands.

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Brown
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: The fruit is narrowly egg-shaped, about 1/2 inch and splits open lengthwise to release many tiny seeds.
Seed Notes: Seeds are brown and attached to the fruit at the base. The seed coat has a net-like or crisscross pattern.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer