Castilleja indivisa, commonly known as Texas Indian paintbrush or entireleaf Indian paintbrush, is a hemiparasitic annual wildflower native to Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma in the United States. There are historical records of the species formerly growing in Arkansas, and reports of naturalized populations in Florida and Alabama.[2]

Castilleja indivisa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Castilleja
Species:
C. indivisa
Binomial name
Castilleja indivisa

The bright red leaf-like bracts surrounding the white to greenish flowers make the plant look like a ragged brush dipped in red paint. They sometimes produce a light yellow or pure white variation mixed in with the reds.

Each plant typically grows up to 18 in (46 cm) in height.[3] The leaves are long and stalkless. The roots grow until they reach the roots of other plants, mainly grasses, and then penetrate the roots of the "host" plant to obtain a portion of their needed nutrients (known as semi- or hemiparasitic).

Texas paintbrush typically blooms in the spring and summer. Some of its native habitats include prairies, meadows, pastures and roadsides.[3]

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References

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  1. ^ "Castilleja indivisa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  2. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  3. ^ a b "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
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  Media related to Castilleja indivisa at Wikimedia Commons   Data related to Castilleja indivisa at Wikispecies