Castilleja miniata (Red Paintbrush) - photos and description
a - the corolla is longer than b - bracts
a - corolla upper lip; b - corolla three parted lower lip; c -
bracts
Patch of many plants
Origin: Native.
General: Perennial plants from a woody rootstalk, often branching above. Plant stems sparingly hairy.
Flowers: Inflorescence in dense, terminal spikes. Colourful reddish-pink bracts surround the corolla, bracts often three-lobed. Inner bracts were measured to 2 cm long. The corolla is green, two-lipped, the upper lip tube-shaped much longer than the lower lip; the lower lip is three-cleft. We measured the corolla upper lip at 3 cm long and the lower lip at 5 mm long.
Leaves: Leaves are cauline, entire, lanceolate, alternate, sessile, we measured a leaf at 5.5 cm long, and 1.5 cm wide. Leaves are ciliate, pubescent with very short hairs on leaf tops, glabrous on leaf bottoms.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 60 cm, we measured plants to 73 cm tall.
Habitat: Roadsides, meadows, open woods.
Abundance: Common.
When and where photographed: The above photos were taken June 28th, highway ditch south of La Ronge 600 km north of Regina, SK, July 4th in a road side in Duck Mountain provincial park, 300 km northeast of Regina, SK, and July 11th and 13th just south of Good Spirit Lake provincial park, about 225 km northeast of our home in Regina, SK.