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Picture Notes: On 04/21/2011 I was hiking the Old Spanish Trail in Cottonwood Valley with the rock hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility. These paintbrushes were abundantly scattered along the sides of the trail and throughout the desert floor. Though these were the two largest clumps I observed, most appeared to be young sprouting's with only 3-4 stalks. Their bright color certainly adds a special beauty to a normally dull desert floor.
Description: Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower most commonly called desert Indian paintbrush or the northwestern paintbrush. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert scrub and woodlands of western North America. This Indian paintbrush is usually less than 18 inches height and has bristly gray-green to purple-red herbage. It stands in a clump of erect stems, each topped with a cluster of somewhat tubular bright red flowers; though they can sometimes be kind of orange-red, tinted with purple, and usually fuzzy with a thin coat of white hairs (click on below right picture). The inch long capsule fruits contain honeycomb-patterned seeds. This plant can be red orange or yellow in color.
Though the flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible and sweet, the roots or green parts can very toxic if consumed. The flowers of the Indian paintbrush have similar health benefits to consuming garlic when eaten in small amounts and in moderation. The Ojibwe, or Chippewa, used a hairwash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied. Nevada Indian tribes used the plant to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and to enhance the immune system.
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