Castilleja linariifolia Benth.

By Maddy Palaschak, Native Plants of Arizona 2004
Common names: Indian paintbrush, paint-cup, paintbrush (3).
Family: Scrophulariaceae (1)
Synonymy: C.L. var. ominpubescens (Pennell) (Lokey), C. trainii Edwin (4).
Etymology: The genus of this plant was named after the 18 th century Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo (2). Linariifolia refers to linear leaves (3).

Identification
Growth form: 1-3 feet tall perennial (3).
Roots:
Stem: Several stems at 4-16 inches tall (5).
Leaves: Narrow leaves with rolled margins (6). Alternate leaves (7).
Inflorescence/flowers: Enclosed by bright red or crimson bracts (7). Flower widely spaces at right angles (8).
Fruit:
Similar species: C. exilis is a 1-2 feet tall slender annual that grows in boggy areas (3).

 Ecology
Life history: Perennial (9). An important fact about Castilleja species is that they are hemi-parasitic on the roots of other plants. Two examples of plants that Castilleja parasitizes are rabbitbrush and sagebrush. Therefore, these are difficult to grow as garden plants (2) .
Native/introduced: Native in United States (1).
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: March to September (5).
Distribution: Found throughout West (7). Dry to moist soils in plains and mountains. From low valleys of 9000ft in Montana to Oregon and south to Mexico (3).

 Uses
The Decoction of Castilleja linariifolia is used as a contraceptive (9).

References

1. “Plants Profile”. United States Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/.

2. Art Guppy. “Environmental Services.” Washington State Department of Transportation. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/environment.

3. Craighead, John., Craighead, Frank., Davis, Ray. 1963. A field guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers . Hougton Mifflin Company. Boston . pp.169.

4. Kartesz, John., Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States , Canada and Greenland . The University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill . pp. 440.

5. Phillips, Arthur. 1979. Grand Canyon Wildflowers . Lorraine Press, Inc. pp. 81.

6. Graf, Micheal. 1999. Plants of the Tahoe Basin . University of California Press. Berkeley . pp. 110.

7. Kirk, Donald. 1970. Wild Edible Plants of the Western United States . Naturegraph Publishers, California . pp. 77.

8. Niehaus, Theodore. 1984. A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers . Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston . pp. 25.

9. Dan Moerman. Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan . http://herb.umd.umich.edu/.