About Castilleja subinclusa Greene
Castilleja subinclusa, commonly called long leaf paintbrush, is a perennial herb. When fully grown, it reaches a height of 18 to 120 centimeters (7.1–47.2 inches). One or more stems grow from a woody caudex that sits atop a taproot. For the variety jepsonii, stems may grow straight upward, lean outward slightly, or lie against nearby plants and shrubs. The above-ground plant tissue ranges in color from gray-green to purple, and is usually covered in hairs. Its lance-shaped leaves grow up to 8 centimeters long. The inflorescence can reach up to 40 centimeters in length, and is made up of long, pointed bracts tipped with bright red-orange to deep red color. Lighter-colored yellow-green to pinkish hairy flowers emerge between these colorful bracts. Long leaf paintbrush is native to central and southern California, and northern Baja California. It occurs from sea level up to elevations of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) in the Sierra Nevada. Different varieties occupy different habitats: the variety franciscana grows in the coastal sage scrub plant community; variety jepsonii grows in chaparral, California oak woodland, and desert scrub; and variety subinclusa additionally grows in pine-oak woods.
