Desert Indian Paintbrush

In Desert Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja Angustifolia, the most noticeable part of the flower head are the red bracts - modified leaves, with similar dimensions and characteristics to the leaves just below; the actual flowers are small, greenish-yellow, an inch long and tubular, projecting out just a little way at the top. Under optimum conditions the bracts are especially brilliant in color, seeming to glow from within. Bracts are divided into 3 or 5 lobes, as are the upper stem leaves. These plants are found in Sandy soils, sagebrush plains, grassland, and semi-desert locations up to 9,500 feet.

Date, time, and location of the image have been lost. But the photo above does demonstrate how wildflowers in Utah can grow in rocky soil. A closeup of a flower head is below: