Tidbits: Because there are no places to perch on the Paintbrush, it requires. The stem seems to be a reservoir for carbon dioxide, and the waxy surface of the stem helps prevent water loss through transpiration. Their color comes from dense, bright bracts that surround the actual flower. Recently, scientists suggest that the stem does most of the photosynthesis for the plant, since it has a larger surface area than the small round leaves at the base of the plant. Early hypotheses included insects laying eggs inside and creating galls. Over the years, scientists have had different ideas about what causes the stem to inflate. The leaves are green, containing chlorophyll to undergo. This is a perennial herb growing in clumps of up to fifteen stems. Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) is a parasitic plant that often robs the root systems of neighbor- ing plants for needed nutrients. In fall, the stems will turn from green to a dark red, and then a pale yellow as the plant dries. Castilleja levisecta (golden paintbrush) was first collected as a modern botanical specimen near Mill Plain, Washington, by Thomas Jefferson Howell in 1880 and was described by Jesse More Greenman in 1898 (Greenman 1898). Location in park: Common throughout the park.ĭescription: This unique member of the buckwheat family has an inflated stem, giving it part of its scientific name, “inflatum.” Tiny yellow flowers top the stems in the spring. Range: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico

Habitat: Sandy and clay soils in mixed desert scrub, saltbush, rabbitbrush, grassland, and pinyon-juniper woodland communities. The desert trumpet is a memorable plant because of the inflated look of its stem.

Indian paintbrush plant range