PlantFiles: Downy Indian Paintbrush
Castilleja purpurea

According to Shinners & Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas there are 3 varieties of Castilleja purpurea - var. citrina, var. lindheimeri, and var. purpurea. They are known to hybridize in certain counties of Texas and create other colors including white.

I have not grown this plant which is classified as a subshrub. It is rather uncommon and is native to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. It thrives in dry caliche or sandy soils of hilly areas, grasslands, prairies and slopes. The color of the "blooms" listed are the colors of the bracts. The blooms are rather inconspicuous and are a light green or creamy color (some may be tinged with color).There are at least 10 species in Texas with varying bract and bloom colors. The color of the "blooms" listed include various species. In areas where more than one variety occurs, integression of colors is not unusual.

This plant is semiparasitic on other plants which makes it almost impossible to transplant. All paintbrushes are semiparasitic. The genus was named after Juan Domingo Castillejo, a Spanish botanist in 1781.