Castilleja applegatei
wavyleaf paintbrush
Attracts PollinatorsAttracts ButterfliesAttracts HummingbirdsDeer ResistantDrought Tolerant
Native to North America
Overview
Castilleja applegatei, wavyleaf paintbrush, is a hemiparasitic perennial of the western United States, growing 6-16 inches (15-40 cm) tall in clumps of erect, often sticky stems. Its narrow leaves have distinctly wavy, curled margins and are coated with glandular hairs, sometimes tinged purple. The color comes not from the petals but from the bracts and calyces near the stem tips, which flush bright red to orange-red, surrounding slender greenish tubular flowers. It blooms from late spring into summer and draws hummingbirds to the tubular blooms. Like other paintbrushes, C. applegatei taps the roots of neighboring shrubs such as sagebrush for part of its water and nutrients, so it does not grow well in isolation. It occupies dry, rocky slopes, ridges, and open conifer woodland from foothills to subalpine elevations. Its root parasitism makes it difficult to establish and transplant in gardens, and plants are slow and unreliable from seed.
Native Range
Native to the western United States, across the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Great Basin ranges, and into the Rocky Mountains, from California and Oregon east to Colorado. It grows on dry, rocky slopes, ridges, and open coniferous woodland from foothills to subalpine zones.Suggested Uses
Grown in native plant gardens, rock gardens, and habitat or restoration plantings in dry western climates, always alongside a suitable host. Its red bracts add seasonal color to sunny, low-water beds and support hummingbirds. It is rarely used outside specialist and native plantings because of its parasitic needs.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 1'4"
Width/Spread6" - 1'
Bloom Information
The colorful bracts and tubular flowers appear from late spring into summer, generally May to August depending on elevation. Higher sites bloom later, extending the display through the mountains. Hummingbirds visit the tubular flowers, which fade as seed capsules form.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
red to orange-red bracts with greenish flowersFoliage Description
green, sometimes purple-tingedGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight