Taxon Report

Castilleja angustifolia (Nutt.) G. Don var. flavescens (Pennell ex Edwin) N.H. Holmgren

northwestern paintbrush

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens, commonly known as northwestern paintbrush, is a perennial herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1310 to 2590 meters. Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja angustifolia (Nutt.) G. Don var. flavescens (Pennell ex Edwin) N.H. Holmgren
Common Name:	northwestern paintbrush
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D021
USDA Plants Symbol:	CAANF
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: (Apr)May-Jul	(Apr)May-Jul
Elevation:	1310-2590 (4300-8500)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:	Clay (sometimes), Gravelly (often), Rocky (usually), Sandy (sometimes), Volcanic (often)
Microhabitat Details:	Rocky areas (often volcanic) with sandy, gravelly, silty or clay soil. Often associated with Artemisia arbuscula, its likely host plant

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:
State Rank:
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 4.3 on 2026-05-08

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



First confirmed in the southern Warner Mountains of LAS Co. by Mark Egger in 2015, then in the Bodie Hills of MNO Co. in 2018.
Threats:
Threatened by recreational foot traffic and invasive non-native plants. Potentially threatened by mining, inappropriate grazing, and off-road vehicles.
Taxonomy:
The name Castilleja angustifolia was included in TJM (1993), but those populations were assigned to the name C. chromosa in TJM 2 (2012). Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens differs from C. chromosa in having inflorescence bracts that are usually tipped with pink, reddish-pink, yellow, yellow-orange, or white (often variable within a population) vs usually bright red, scarlet, or orange red. Additionally, the corolla beaks in var. flavescens are 8–15 mm long vs 9–18 mm long in C. chromosa.

Selected References

Proposed addition to CRPR 4.3, G5T4 / S3 (2026)

Leaflets of Western Botany 9:45 (1959)

Intermountain Flora 4: 488 (1984)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 21 May 2026].