Flower profile

Downy painted-cup

Castilleja sessiliflora

Downy painted-cup (Castilleja sessiliflora) 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

Downy painted-cup is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

16states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

2,006U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Castilleja sessiliflora is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names downy paintbrush and downy paintedcup. It is native to the Great Plains of North America from southern Canada, through the central United States, to northern Mexico. It occurs as far west as the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
From Wikipedia's article Castilleja sessiliflora, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 16 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1.3 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 148 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #99 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 106 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #66 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (179 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
South Dakota	Native	few records (6)	148
North Dakota	Native	few records (11)	106

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S2), MO (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

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 downy painted-cup in 16 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Bennett, Brookings, Butte, Codington, Corson, Custer, Day, Deuel, Fall River, Harding, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jerauld, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Meade, Minnehaha, Pennington, Roberts, Todd, Turner, Union, Yankton, Ziebach.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ransom, Renville, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Williams.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Downy painted-cup a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.0 to 7.4 and winter lows down to -38 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 6.0 to 7.4
Minimum temperature tolerated: -38 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 120
Annual precipitation range: 16 to 32 inches
Minimum root depth: 10 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Spring to Summer
Can be propagated by: seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for CASE5. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 299 counties across 16 states; the most are in North Dakota (39), Kansas (38), Minnesota (33).

Other Castilleja on Bloomipedia (11): Texas paintbrush, Purple owl's-clover, Felt paintbrush, Giant red paintbrush, Desert paintbrush, Wholeleaf paintbrush, Wyoming paintbrush, Painted-cup paintbrush, Rhexia-leaved paintbrush, 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 South Dakota flowers

Northern paintbrush

Castilleja septentrionalis

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Hoary vervain

Verbena stricta

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Plains pricklypear

Opuntia polyacantha

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CASE5.
iNaturalist, Castilleja sessiliflora: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Castilleja sessiliflora (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Castilleja sessiliflora (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Anders Hastings via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.