Most people remember “firsts” — their first love, their first car, the first time they set out on their own. In the natural world, identifying a flower for the first time can be exciting and memorable. I was a young teen hiking in Squaw Valley when I first saw a bright red feathery flower and discovered its name — Indian paintbrush. By simply identifying it, which I had never done before, I learned all sorts of new things. Ever since then I’ve packed field guides in my daypack to identify trees, bushes, and wildflowers, birds and animals, too. Identification can open up a whole new world.
The Sierra has about 20 species of paintbrush. The giant red Indian paintbrush, Castilleja miniata, named after Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo, is one of the more common and easy to spot. “Giant” is the key word in its name as it can grow waist high. What’s even more marvelous is the paintbrush’s little secret. The paintbrush actually isn’t a flower at all but a collection of red bracts, leaf-like structures often positioned beneath a flower that hide the real flower inside. To see the true bloom (with flower parts, pistol, and stamen), the bracts can be lifted outward to reveal the greenish-yellow flower in the center. The very tops of the flower, however, can be spotted poking out of the bracts like a snake’s thread-thin tongue.
Another secret of paintbrushes is their tendency to mooch off of other plants. Most paintbrushes are partial parasites, their roots establishing connections with the roots of other species, sagebrush and penstemon, for example, to garner nutrients and water. This dependent characteristic makes it hard to replant.
Paintbrush leaves can be wavy or smooth-edged, lobed or unlobed. Applegate’s paintbrush, Castilleja applegatei, another common Sierra paintbrush, has wavy, three-lobed leaves, as opposed to its taller cousin, the giant red, which has smooth-edged, lanceolate (lance-shaped), unlobed leaves.
The flowers of Indian paintbrush are sweet (when new) and edible, but only if consumed in moderation. The green parts are known to be toxic. Native American tribes ate the flowers as a condiment with a variety of greens. The paintbrush was also used in a tea to dry up menstrual flow.
The story of how the Indian paintbrush got its name is immortalized in the children’s book, “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush,” by Tomie dePaola. In the book, based on the legend that was first published in 1965 in an article for Austin American-Statesman by Ruth D. Isleya, a young Indian boy had a vision that one day he would paint the colors of the sunset and become known among his people. He asked the Great Spirit to help him find the right colors. One night on a hilltop the boy finds brushes filled with bright orange, red, and pink paint. He paints on a white buckskin, leaves the brushes on the hill, and takes his painting to show the people. The next day, the brushes take root and multiply into plants, each the color of a sunset.
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