Desert indian paintbrush (formerly called Castilleja chromosa) is a gray-green few branched herbaceous perennial from a woody root-crown with alternate, lanceolate leaves that sometimes have 1-5 pairs of narrow, ± spreading lobes.  The calyx and leaflike bracts are scarlet-tipped.  The corolla's upper lip is about 1/2" long, sparsely pubescent, with wide reddish margins, the lower lip is dark green and only 1/16" long, and the stigma is 2-lobed.  This species of paintbrush is commonly found on dry and rocky slopes of the Mojave Desert in sagebrush and shadscale scrub, joshua tree and pinyon-juniper woodland to 8000', and blooms from April to August.  These pictures were taken in Joshua Tree National Park.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Castilleja 2) angustifolia.
Pronunciation: kas-til-AY-ha an-gus-ti-FO-lee-a.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.