Wavy-leaf Indian Paintbrush
Castilleja applegatei
Photographed near French Creek, Bradshaw Mts., Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA. May 24, 2009.
FLOWERS: What at first appear to be bright red flowers are actually red
to yellowish bracts subtending a narrow, red-margined flower. The calyx and
corolla are bilaterally symmetrical. Blooming period in the Sonoran Desert is
from mid spring through summer.
PERENNIAL: An herbaceous perennial of Upper Sonoran Desert - more common
in juniper and oak woodlands at higher elevations. Mostly less than
60 cm tall.
LEAVES: Alternate leaves with long silky hairs and shorter gland-tipped
hairs. Shape is elongate and with wavy margins, usu without lobes.
RANGE: Rare in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Found mostly in the
highest elevations. Many varieties and subspecies have been named based on
degree of foliage hairiness and flower color; plant in its various forms is
found throughout the western United States.
FRUIT: Upon maturity, dry capsules split open releasing a number of
seeds.
UNARMED. Without thorns.