Castilleja integra
wholeleaf paintbrush
southwestern United States and northern Mexico
Overview
Castilleja integra is an upright perennial in the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae), forming clumps 8–16 inches (20–40 cm) tall from a woody base. Unlike many paintbrushes, its narrow leaves are entire — without the side lobes typical of the genus — and are covered in gray, woolly hairs. The visible color comes not from the petals but from the bracts beneath the flowers, which flush bright red to orange-red in a dense terminal cluster; the true flowers are slim, greenish, and largely hidden among them. Like other paintbrushes, it is a root hemiparasite, tapping the roots of nearby grasses and shrubs for water and nutrients while still making its own food, which makes it slow and unreliable to establish without host plants. It grows on dry, rocky slopes, gravelly flats, and pinyon-juniper and grassland sites across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. On seleniferous soils it can take up selenium and become toxic to grazing animals. It is drought-adapted and long-lived once anchored to suitable hosts.
Native Range
Castilleja integra is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from Colorado and Utah south through New Mexico, Arizona, and western Texas into Chihuahua. It grows on dry slopes and plateaus, often in pinyon-juniper woodland and desert grassland.Suggested Uses
Castilleja integra is used in native, rock, and dryland gardens and in restoration plantings on dry sites, always alongside host grasses or shrubs. Its red bracts draw hummingbirds in spring. It suits naturalistic southwestern plantings rather than tidy borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 1'4"
Width/Spread6" - 1'
Colors
Bloom Information
The colored bracts appear from March into June, lasting longest where soil moisture holds. A clump can stay in color for 6–8 weeks because the bracts, rather than the short-lived flowers, carry the display. Hummingbirds visit the tubular greenish flowers nestled within.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
red to orange-red bractsFoliage Description
grayish-greenGrowing 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