Common red paintbrush, giant red Indian paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush • Castilleja miniata
Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - ƛ̓ax̌vstú-s k̓ád́áyú* • Nuxalk - tsa'yamuus
*literal translation = "red writing/painting utensil"
Identification
Common red paintbrush is most easily identified by the vibrant red-hued tuft topping each stem, like the end of a paintbrush; this structure looks like a flower but is actually a cluster of bracts surrounding the plant's many small, inconspicuous flowers. The bracts can vary from light orange to bright red or scarlet, and can occasionally be yellow, while the small flowers are green and tubular, appearing somewhat leaf-like among the bracts. The dark-coloured stems bear 3-10 cm long lance-shaped, pointed leaves. This perennial plant grows 20-80 cm tall from a woody base, and may grow singly or in clusters.
Habitat & Range
This species can be found in numerous habitats throughout BC, including open woods, wet and dry meadows, fens, grassy slopes, tidal marshes, clearings, roadsides, thickets, and gravel bars. It grows from low to subalpine elevations. The common red paintbrush is broadly distributed, ranging north to Alaska and the Yukon Territory, east across the Canadian prairies to western Ontario, and southeast to the central US, including North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. It is less frequent towards the north of its range and on Haida Gwaii.
Similar Species
There are a few similar species in the same genus that may be found on the Central Coast, including the small-flowered paintbrush (C. parviflora) harsh paintbrush (C. hispida var. hispida), alpine paintbrush (C. rhexifolia), and unalaska paintbrush (C. unalaschcensis). Small-flowered paintbrush is generally found only at higher elevations, in subalpine and alpine meadows. Both harsh and alpine paintbrush are restricted to a more southern range, not usually ranging further north than northern Vancouver Island. Alpine paintbrush may extend northwards, but at much higher elevations.
Unalaska paintbrush is does co-occur in the region, but is distinguished from the common red paintbrush by its greenish-yellow 'flowers' (tufts of bracts). Additionally, common paintbrush bracts usually have one or two pairs of sharp teeth or lobes (or are sharply pointed if entire), whereas unalaska paintbrush bracts tend to be rounded and entire, or sometimes with short blunt lobes or teeth.
Intriguing Info
This species contains three subspecies (click here to see a list, and maps of their ranges), and is highly variable. Visit the E-Flora species gallery for photos of the many different colours and sizes of common red paintbrush.
This species seems to commonly hybridize with C. unalaschcensis, and maybe C. hispida and C. rhexifolia as well.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/76148-Castilleja-miniata
Common red paintbrush is most easily identified by the vibrant red-hued tuft topping each stem, like the end of a paintbrush; this structure looks like a flower but is actually a cluster of bracts surrounding the plant's many small, inconspicuous flowers. The bracts can vary from light orange to bright red or scarlet, and can occasionally be yellow, while the small flowers are green and tubular, appearing somewhat leaf-like among the bracts. The dark-coloured stems bear 3-10 cm long lance-shaped, pointed leaves. This perennial plant grows 20-80 cm tall from a woody base, and may grow singly or in clusters.
Habitat & Range
This species can be found in numerous habitats throughout BC, including open woods, wet and dry meadows, fens, grassy slopes, tidal marshes, clearings, roadsides, thickets, and gravel bars. It grows from low to subalpine elevations. The common red paintbrush is broadly distributed, ranging north to Alaska and the Yukon Territory, east across the Canadian prairies to western Ontario, and southeast to the central US, including North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. It is less frequent towards the north of its range and on Haida Gwaii.
Similar Species
There are a few similar species in the same genus that may be found on the Central Coast, including the small-flowered paintbrush (C. parviflora) harsh paintbrush (C. hispida var. hispida), alpine paintbrush (C. rhexifolia), and unalaska paintbrush (C. unalaschcensis). Small-flowered paintbrush is generally found only at higher elevations, in subalpine and alpine meadows. Both harsh and alpine paintbrush are restricted to a more southern range, not usually ranging further north than northern Vancouver Island. Alpine paintbrush may extend northwards, but at much higher elevations.
Unalaska paintbrush is does co-occur in the region, but is distinguished from the common red paintbrush by its greenish-yellow 'flowers' (tufts of bracts). Additionally, common paintbrush bracts usually have one or two pairs of sharp teeth or lobes (or are sharply pointed if entire), whereas unalaska paintbrush bracts tend to be rounded and entire, or sometimes with short blunt lobes or teeth.
Intriguing Info
This species contains three subspecies (click here to see a list, and maps of their ranges), and is highly variable. Visit the E-Flora species gallery for photos of the many different colours and sizes of common red paintbrush.
This species seems to commonly hybridize with C. unalaschcensis, and maybe C. hispida and C. rhexifolia as well.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/76148-Castilleja-miniata
References
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 258.Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook. common red paintbrush; giant red Indian paintbrush; scarlet paintbrush.
In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 27/04/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2016).
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 258.Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook. common red paintbrush; giant red Indian paintbrush; scarlet paintbrush.
In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 27/04/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2016).