Castilleja sulphurea, July 6, 2023
Common & scientific name
Sulfur indian paintbrush, Castilleja sulphurea
Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae
Location
Independence ghost town, 10,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
I always had a hard time understanding how the paintbrushes fit within the Snapdragon (Scrophularaceae) family, along with the penstemons and monkey flowers and louseworts. Now I know they don’t (nor, it seems, do the aforementioned: more on that in those plants’ profiles!) Some time in the last few years when I wasn’t paying attention, they got moved to the Broomrape (Orobanchaceae) family, not because of their physical characteristics, but because of their genetics and the fact that they are parasitic on other plants, like other broomrapes.