Flower profile
Northern paintbrush
Castilleja septentrionalis
Northern paintbrush (Castilleja septentrionalis) is a flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.
Northern paintbrush is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: South Dakota
Quick look
Castilleja septentrionalis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by several common names, including northern paintbrush, sulfur paintbrush, and pale painted cup. There is taxonomic disagreement as to if it is one species widely distributed in mountain and alpine environments of North America or if there is a second species, Castilleja sulphurea, in the Rocky Mountains.
- It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 167 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #89 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of South Dakota flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
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.
- 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?
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.
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 Northern paintbrush in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 7 counties across 5 states; the most are in Maine (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1).
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, Downy painted-cup.
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
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CASE4.
- iNaturalist, Castilleja septentrionalis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Castilleja septentrionalis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Castilleja septentrionalis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Jo Roberts via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.