Over two dozen species of Indian paintbrush grow in the Intermountain Region, many of these are associated with pinyon-juniper woodlands. The genus Castilleja is hemiparasitic, meaning the plants obtain some important nutrients through parasitism. Most Intermountain Castilleja species are fire resistant, sprouting from the root crown located below the soil surface.
One of the most common species, desert paintbrush (C. chromosa), ranges throughout the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, frequently associated with sagebrush, black brush, and pinyon-juniper communities (Photo: Great Basin National Park by Rick Miller)Desert Paintbrush with yellow goldenweed (Stenotus ameroides), black and mountain big sagebrush, and twoneedle pinyon on a shallow rocky ridgetop near the spruce-fir vegetation zone (Photo: Henry Mountains, Colorado Plateau, by Rick Miller)
