The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Indian Paintbrush Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis (Scrophulariaceae)
Castilleja has reversed nature's usual color assignment of green for leaves and red for petals. Most of the brilliant color in the flower spike is contributed by the bracts. Bracts are modified leaves, one of which is inserted below each flower. In this species, each bract is shaped like a bird's foot. The tubular flowers are partially hidden from view by the bracts. They are tricolored, with red and yellow flushed with green.
DISTRIBUTION: Chaparral and coastal scrub from the North Coast and outer North Coast Ranges to the foothills of the Cascade Ranges and Sierra Nevada to CW and SW Calif.; < 1200 m.
