Although certain species do much better with and seem to “prefer” particular host species, they will usually take whatever they can get. Castilleja also does not kill its host plant, although it often does take a toll on its fitness and growth.Ĭastilleja species are generalist parasites. And while in the wild Castilleja is almost never found without a host, they can technically survive on their own, although they are much less robust in every way if grown in isolation. This may be an adaptation to places where resources, like water, are limited, the growing season is short, or the soil is poor. But they get a huge boost in fitness from stealing water and other essential minerals from a host plant.

Since they have fairly normal green foliage, they can photosynthesize on their own. Of the parasitic plants found in this family, Castilleja is actually a fairly mild parasite, known as a root hemiparasite. Haustoria are specialized roots that drill into the roots of other plants for the purpose of stealing their resources. Although levels of parasitism range greatly in this family, they all have a defining characteristic: haustoria. In fact, it comes from an entire family of plant-on-plant parasites, Orobanchaceae. The reason for this is that, although it looks just like any other green forb to the naked eye, Castilleja is actually parasitic on other plants. Some wildflowers like mountain bluebells or little sunflower form huge monolithic stands, but Indian paintbrush is almost always scattered through an area with other plants. Note how it goes through the tissue but doesn't puncture the cells.Īnother thing you may or may not notice about Castilleja is that you almost never see it alone. You can kind of see this once you know what to look for, as the color sort of shades back to green as you move down the stem. Much like poinsettia, all the action is in the specially formed leaves. They are the leafy bracts surrounding the very inconspicuous and uninteresting greenish white flowers at the very tip. First off, the colorful blooms that make it so remarkable are not actually the flowers. There are a couple interesting things about Castilleja. Despite being maniacally difficult to tell some of the species apart, Indian paintbrush is one of my personal favorite wildflowers, and not just for it’s breathtaking colors.

Blooming riotously in the summer, from deserts to alpine meadows, the nearly 200 species in this genus (many endemic to North America) put on quite a display – a riot of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and purples. is probably familiar with one of our most attractive wildflowers – Castilleja, or Indian paint brush. Castilleja miniata, a very common paintbrush species in Western North AmericaĪnyone who has spent much time in the Western U.S.

Texas paintbrush