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Species Details
Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium Read more about this collection »
LeavesAlternate, sessile, simple, linear to lance-shaped, 2-5 cm long, margins entire to three-lobed, three-nerved, appressed-rough-hairy to nearly smooth
FlowersInflorescence a terminal spike, 20-25 sessile flowers, bracted; bracts bright red or scarlet to orange, occasionally crimson or rarely yellow, lance-shaped, three-lobed, conceal most of flower, hairy, sticky; flowers bilaterally symmetrical; sepals 4 lobed, fused to appear 2-lobed, lobes 2-toothed, form tubular structure, 1.5-3.0 cm long, top half pink to red, lower half green, hairy; petals 5, 2-3.5 cm long, greenish, fused into 2 lips, upper lip hairy, arched, lower lip 3-toothed, short, thick; stamens 4, in pairs, enclosed by the upper lip of the corolla; pistils 1, style slender, exserted, ovary superior
Fruits and SeedsCapsule, 2 valves, oblong, 9-12 mm long, 33-80 seeds; seed-coats loose, net-veined; seeds winged, short beaks, 1-2 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm wide
Scientific Name
Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
Common Name
giant red paintbrush
General Description
Perennial herb; stems simple or sometimes branched, 20-80 cm tall, somewhat woody, clustered or solitary on rhizomes, smooth below, hairy above especially in the inflorescence
Leaves
Alternate, sessile, simple, linear to lance-shaped, 2-5 cm long, margins entire to three-lobed, three-nerved, appressed-rough-hairy to nearly smooth
Flowers
Inflorescence a terminal spike, 20-25 sessile flowers, bracted; bracts bright red or scarlet to orange, occasionally crimson or rarely yellow, lance-shaped, three-lobed, conceal most of flower, hairy, sticky; flowers…
Inflorescence a terminal spike, 20-25 sessile flowers, bracted; bracts bright red or scarlet to orange, occasionally crimson or rarely yellow, lance-shaped, three-lobed, conceal most of flower, hairy, sticky; flowers bilaterally symmetrical; sepals 4 lobed, fused to appear 2-lobed, lobes 2-toothed, form tubular structure, 1.5-3.0 cm long, top half pink to red, lower half green, hairy; petals 5, 2-3.5 cm long, greenish, fused into 2 lips, upper lip hairy, arched, lower lip 3-toothed, short, thick; stamens 4, in pairs, enclosed by the upper lip of the corolla; pistils 1, style slender, exserted, ovary superior
Fruits and Seeds
Capsule, 2 valves, oblong, 9-12 mm long, 33-80 seeds; seed-coats loose, net-veined; seeds winged, short beaks, 1-2 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm wide
Phenology
Flowers between June and August
Notes
Similar species:
Castilleja rhexifolia
C. rhexifolia is often confused with C. miniata. C. rhexifolia, commonly known as Rosy Paintbrush because it also resembles a paintbrush, is not scarlet and red colored like C.…
Similar species:
Castilleja rhexifolia
C. rhexifolia is often confused with C. miniata. C. rhexifolia, commonly known as Rosy Paintbrush because it also resembles a paintbrush, is not scarlet and red colored like C. miniata.
Unique adaptations:
This species is a hemiparasite, meaning that resources such as water, nutrients, or chemical compounds are stolen from other plants, but photosynthesis is still performed by the plant to make energy.
It is the brightly colored bracts that gives C. miniata its common name because the inflorescence looks as if it were dipped in red paint.
Range/Distribution
Alberta: Concentrated mainly along the foothills and Rocky Mountains, radiating slightly North and East, making it well distributed throughout Central Alberta
CAN (BC, MB, ON, SK, YT); USA (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND,…
Alberta: Concentrated mainly along the foothills and Rocky Mountains, radiating slightly North and East, making it well distributed throughout Central Alberta
CAN (BC, MB, ON, SK, YT); USA (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)
Citation
Page Citation for Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
Page Citation
"Species Details - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook., University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/1-3082/12-124711. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Specimen Information
There are 83 specimens of this Species.
120045 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Coyote Lake Natural Area
Date Collected1987-08-14
120132 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Coyote Lake Nature Sanctuary
Date Collected2008-07-11
119929 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Robb
Date Collected1965-08-08
119928 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Weldwood Forest Management Area
Date Collected1965-06-28
122439 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Livingstone River
Date Collected1985-07-16
122608 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Banff National Park, Bow Lake
Date Collected1963-07-28
122607 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Lakes
Date Collected1943-07-01
122309 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, British Columbia, Galiano Island, Retreat Cove
Date Collected1928-06-03
122308 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, British Columbia, Galiano Island, Retreat Cove
Date Collected1928-06-03
122010 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area
Date Collected2009-06-18
122011 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Cline River
Date Collected2009-06-19
122012 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Mount Stelfox
Date Collected2009-07-21
122013 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve
Date Collected2009-07-22
122014 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area
Date Collected2009-07-24
122015 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Cline River
Date Collected2009-08-11
122016 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area
Date Collected2009-08-12
121097 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Manitoba, Jumper Plains
Date Collected1971-07-21
121098 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Manitoba, Venlaw
Date Collected1984-07-17
123983 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park, Deadhorse Meadows
Date Collected2006-07-12
123984 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park, Kakwa Falls
Date Collected2006-07-12
123985 - Castilleja miniata Douglas ex Hook.
University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium
Common Namegiant red paintbrush
Place CollectedNorth America: Canada, Alberta, Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park, Deadhorse Meadows
Date Collected2006-07-15