It is present in most of the eastern states, including those bordering the Mississippi River, as well as Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This species likes sand and grows in both prairies and open woods. Ironically, this plant was used by Native Americans as both a love charm in food and as a poison used to against their enemies, as this species is known to have toxic properties. Seeds are contained in a chambered capsule with two divisions, and once ripe, the capsules split open and wind action helps scatter the up to three hundred seeds within each capsule. Although seeds can germinate the same season as when they are released, usually they germinate the following spring and produce a basal rosette that will flower the following season. Also, the lack of a lower petal lip denies insects a perch to rest on, favoring hovering organisms like bees and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have long bills that allow them to reach the nectar rewards at the end of long, tubular flowers. However, like most red flowers, this species is especially adapted for pollination by hummingbirds. This is somewhat surprising since the color red is difficult for insects to see. During drought years you may be able to notice that while most of the plants on the hillside will look dry and withered by the early summer. A variety of insects visit paintbrush flowers, especially bees. There are 21 species of the paintbrush just in Montana, including bristly paintbrush, the red-flowered species of dry slopes and scarlet paintbrush which is common in meadows and along streams. Despite being obligate parasites for part of their lives, these plants do rely on pollinators for reproduction. Castilleja coccinea can survive alone, however, it is not known. coccinea is green and photosynthetic, but grows haustoria that penetrate neighboring plants’ roots to steal various types of nutrients. These plants are hemiparasites, meaning that although these plants are green and can photosynthesize, they also have the ability to sequester nutrients from other organisms, in this case, from perennial grasses. Castilleja coccinea, commonly known as Scarlet Indian Paintbrush, is a root hemiparasitic plant native to Illinois and other areas of the central and eastern United States. lutescens), as well as a separate closely related species that also has yellow bracts ( Castilleja sessiliflora). Also, there is a form of this species that has yellow bracts ( Castilleja coccinea f. The actual flower petals are rather inconspicuous, although the tip of the sepals are tinged with red as well. The showy red structures are technically bracts, a type of modified leaf, and not petals. Consuming large portions of the plant may lead to acute selenium toxicity. The genus name “ Castilleja” is named after Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo, and “ coccinea” means “red,” referring to the red bracts that surround the flowers. While its not toxic, the Indian paintbrush contains high levels of selenium. 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. Indian paintbrush is an attractive member of the parasitic Broomrape family (Orobancaceae).
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