Castilleja xanthotricha
An Oregon-native perennial in the broomrape/paintbrush group (Orobanchaceae) with green foliage, a taproot and softly hirsute stems 10–20 cm tall, blooming from early April to early July with small about 0.75-inch flowers lacking obvious petals that are creamy-yellow to greenish-brown on short, broad bracts, endemic to sagebrush hills along the John Day River drainage at 400–800 m in north-central Oregon
Common Names
John Day Paintbrush, Yellow-Hair Indian Paintbrush
Summary
Yellow-hair Indian paintbrush is a native Oregon perennial in the Orobanchaceae family, typically 10–20 cm tall from a taproot with long softly hairy stems and triangular leaves with 0–5 lobes. Inflorescences are 3–14 cm long with proximal greenish bracts and a curved corolla, and flowering occurs in spring to summer in sandy grassland habitat at 400–800 m elevation.
In cultivation, it prefers open, sunny sites with poor sandy soil; propagation is by seed sown in spring (germination 1–3 months at 16–21°C) and by cuttings in late summer.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4-8 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Sandy soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained sandy soil
Bloom Color
White to cream (bracts) with deep purple corolla lip
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds (spring; surface sowing), Cuttings (late summer)
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Pennell
- Publication
- Notul. Nat. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 74: 5 (1941)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Castilleja