Castilleja Lemmonii, Lemmon's Indian Paintbrush

Lemmon's paintbrush, castilleja lemmonii, is an attractive species, producing vertical flower clusters where the bracts are colored a rich shade of pink rather than the more usual red or yellow. Plants are found in moist mountain meadows, at medium to high elevations, in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range.

Stems are generally unbranched, and relatively short, and the upwards-pointing leaves are small, only around one inch long. Stem, leaves and bracts are covered by long, spreading hairs, and are glandular.

The inflorescence extends over up to 5 inches of the stem. The greenish-pink bracts are around half an inch long, divided into 3, 4 or 5 lobes, which have pointed tips. Flowers have a tubular calyx, divided on both sides to around half its length, and a two-lipped, pale yellow corolla. The lower lip is greenish, and is lined by three small teeth.