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There are several species of paintbrush in Utah, and each of
these may have many varieties. It is often difficult, even for an expert,
to be sure of which species he has found. They occur in many shades and
colors -- rose, pink, red, orange, yellow, and even white.
The flowers themselves are not very noticeable -- small and greenish.
The colored parts which are so showy are actually bracts which surround these
flowers.
The plants are often partly parasitic on the roots of other plants, such
as sagebrush and rabbitbrush. This makes them very difficult (or impossible)
to grow in a home garden, which does not have the needed host plants.
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Some of the ones that I have heard mentioned as possibly being found at
Albion Basin are:
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- Castilleja rhexifolia
- Castilleja linariaefolia
- Castilleja miniata
- Castilleja occidentalis
- Castilleja chromosa
- Castilleja sulphurea
This genus of plants is named for Domingo Castillejo, an eighteenth century
Spanish botanist. The region where Castilleja most commonly occurs (the
southwestern part of present day United States) was under the jurisdiction
of Spain until 1821, so it is not surprising that a Spanish botanist would
be the first to study and name the genus.
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Albion Basin
Wasatch Mountains
Salt Lake County, Utah
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Photographed
by Sandra Bray
August 1999
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