Its Spanish name, flor de Santa Rita, honors the Catholic saint Rita, patron of the abused spouse and of heartbroken women. Indian Paintbrush, the state flower of Wyoming, is an herbaceous biennial wildflower native to Canada and Eastern North America. I associate the plant with the Sun, the astrological symbol Gemini, the element Air, and the goddess Ceres and god Vulcanus. This plant is also called painted cup for the showy cup-like bracts.

This species was formerly placed in the Figwort family (Scrophullariaceae), which was a hodgepodge of genera that didn’t fit well in other families. The flowers in magical use are a symbol and attractor of love and happiness. By Christopher David Benda Indian paintbrush is an attractive member of the parasitic Broomrape family (Orobancaceae). Ojibwe used a wash of the plant to keep their hair shiny and glossy. Castilleja, commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. The Acoma Pueblo women held the plants as decorations during harvest dances. The plant also yields various dyes– a black dye from the roots used by the Zuñi to color deerskin and a red dye from the bracts used by the Tewa for wood and pottery. The Ramah Navajo drank a decoction of the leaves during pregnancy to ‘keep the baby small for easy delivery.’ NOTE: DO NOT ingest any part of the plant if pregnant. The Navajo used a dressing made of the leaves for burns and an infusion of the crushed leaves for stomach troubles (possibly as an emetic or laxative) and to ‘clean the blood’ following internal injury. Leaves are narrow, hairy underneath but not on top. It has large, bright bracts which are not divided or lobed and are covered with fine, white hairs.

Leaves: Linear to linear-lanceolate, entire, to 7 cm long, glabrous on the upper surface, tomentose to. Location: White Rock, NM Life Zones: Foothills to montane Habitat: Pinyon-juniper and ponderosa woodlands Can grow to 20' but is usually shorter. NOTE: the green parts of the plant are extremely toxic and no part of the plant should be ingested without medical advice. Indian Paintbrush, Wholeleaf - Castilleja integra. However, regardless of its duplicitous nature, this plant has various recorded medicinal uses. It is a root parasite, meaning the roots of this plant pierces the roots of others to steal away their nutrients. This flower is not as red as it seems– only the bracts have a brilliant color, while the flowers inside are white and small.

Indian paintbrush leaves