Bloomipedia
Desert paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)
Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Desert paintbrush

Castilleja chromosa

Desert paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) is a low shrub in the Orobanchaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Desert paintbrush is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

12states where USDA records it
3Bloomipedia state lists include it
7,416U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Idaho, Nevada, Utah

Quick look

Castilleja chromosa, the desert paintbrush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae found in the western United States. They are distributed in dry scrub, steppe, and desert. They have colorful inflorescences which range from yellow to red in hue. This color is given not by the flowers, which are small, but by the colorful bracts.

  • It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada, Utah and Idaho. NatureServe
  • In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,940 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #11 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,016 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #50 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 476 research-grade sightings of it in Idaho, ranking #78 among the 143 flowers on our Idaho list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (875 records)
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
NevadaNativeMarch–May1,940
UtahNativeMarch–May1,016
IdahoNativefew records (18)476

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
Nevada
Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. NAC 527.010
Utah
No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Idaho
No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Idaho.
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records desert paintbrush in 12 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Idaho counties with USDA records: Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bonner, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Fremont, Latah, Lemhi, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Power, Twin Falls, Valley, Washington.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Castilleja ewanii, Castilleja pyramidalis.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 92 counties across 8 states; the most are in Utah (29), Idaho (23), Oregon (14).

Other Castilleja on Bloomipedia (11): Texas paintbrush, Purple owl's-clover, Felt paintbrush, Giant red paintbrush, Wholeleaf paintbrush, Wyoming paintbrush, Painted-cup paintbrush, Rhexia-leaved paintbrush, Downy painted-cup, Northern paintbrush.

More from the Orobanchaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Canadian lousewort, Warrior's plume, Elephant's-Head lousewort, Narrowleaf cow wheat, Sickletop lousewort, Florida bluehearts, Bracted lousewort, Dwarf lousewort.

More Nevada flowers

Wyoming paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia)

Wyoming paintbrush

Castilleja linariifolia

★ WY state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in NV: June–September
Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May
Eastern Joshua tree (Yucca jaegeriana)

Eastern Joshua tree

Yucca jaegeriana

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: February–April

Sources