Wyoming State Flower
Indian Paintbrush (common name) Castilleja linariifolia (scientific name) Overview Indian paintbrush became the Wyoming state flower in 1917. Until then, the state had been represented by fringed gentian, a more common wildflower in the state. What look like spiky, showy orange-red flowers on Indian Paintbrush plants are red bracts covering the actual flowers, which are small and green with four or five inconspicuous tubular petals.  Each flower has four stamens and a two-lobed stigma—strongly resembling an upright paintbrush that has been dipped in bright paint. Though the actual flowers are quite small, the colored bracts may be more than an inch long. Both the flower’s color and its asymmetrical calyx set the Wyoming state flower apart from other types of paintbrush. The plant’s seeds form in a capsule at the base of the flower. They’re brown with a netted coating, and need to be cold and wet for a time in order to germinate. The plant’s stems are thin and grayish and grow straight up from the ground. They are covered with fine, straight, grayish leaves. The first part of the plant’s Latin name, Castilleja, is borrowed form Domingo Castillejo, a Spanish botanist. Linariifolia refers to linaria, or toadflax, another member of the figwort family. These plants are usually pollinated by hummingbirds. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Duration: Perennial Plant: Sub-shrub, thin straight stems growing upwards Mature Height: 2 ft (.6 m) tall Flowering: June–September Flowers: 1 Castilleja 2 in (2.5–5.2 cm) pointed, spiky Flower Color: Red, orange Leaves: .8–3.14 in (2–8 cm) long, tri-lobed linear leaves Fruit/Seed Color: Brown HABITAT Location: Dry prairies, rocky slopes, full sun to light shade Range: Wyoming west to Idaho, Oregon, and California, south to New Mexico and Arizona TRIVIA The plant’s roots are partially parasitic. They grow until they come in contact with another plant’s roots, and then grow into the other plant’s roots to get necessary nutrients. Because of this, the plants are almost impossible to move once established. Indian paintbrush’s main proponent in the state flower competition was Grace Raymond Hebbard, a trained engineer, university professor, historian, and suffragist.
	Click to enlarge an image Indian Paintbrush Hillside of Indian Paintbrushes Close-up of Indian Paintbrush CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Superdivision: Spermatophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Asteridae Order: Scrophulariales Family: Scrophulariaceae Genus: Castilleja Species: C. linariifolia
	Author: World Trade Press