Scientific Family
Scrophulariaceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
To 16 inches
Riparian
No
A spike of showy, reddish-orange flower bracts top the leafy stems. Wholeleaf Indian paintbrush obtains some of its nutrients by penetrating the roots of nearby plants, most often grasses. Plants are often partially root parasitic.
Perennial, woody root. Stems erect and covered with white wooly hairs. Leaves alternate, linear with smooth edges. Dense spikes of reddish-orange mostly smooth margined bracts at tops of stems, green flowers are subtended by the longer and showy bracts.
Habitat
Dry rocky slopes.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
8500
Flower Characteristics
The showy reddish-orange parts of the flowers are actually bracts (modified leaves) and the greenish, tinged scarlet, tubular true flowers are inconspicuously hidden among the bracts.
Flower color
Bracts are reddish-orange, flowers are green
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The thick, narrow leaves are found all along the stem and without hairs on the upper surface and very hairy underneath. There are typically several leafy stems per plant.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules oval, 1/2 inch long; splitting open longitudinally to release many tiny seeds.
Fruit type
Capsule