Bloomipedia
Texas paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa)
Photo: Sue Ann Kendall via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Texas paintbrush

Castilleja indivisa

Texas paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) is a flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Texas paintbrush 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–May.

4states where USDA records it
2Bloomipedia state lists include it
25,240U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Castilleja indivisa, commonly known as Texas Indian paintbrush or entireleaf Indian paintbrush, is a hemiparasitic annual wildflower native to Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma in the United States. There are historical records of the species formerly growing in Arkansas, and reports of naturalized populations in Florida and Alabama.

  • It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Oklahoma. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • In Oklahoma, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–June. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 22,818 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #11 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,344 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #2 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,299 records)
Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeMarch–May22,818
OklahomaNativeMarch–June2,344

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
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (SH). (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 Texas paintbrush in 4 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Callahan, Cass, Comal, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hunt, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kaufman, Kenedy, Kerr, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Llano, Madison, Marion, Mason, McLennan, Medina, Milam, Montgomery, Navarro, Nueces, Orange, Panola, Red River, Refugio, Robertson, San Patricio, Smith, Tarrant, Titus, Travis, Tyler, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wood.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 95 counties across 3 states; the most are in Texas (83), Louisiana (11), Arkansas (1).

Other Castilleja on Bloomipedia (11): Purple owl's-clover, Felt paintbrush, Giant red paintbrush, Desert 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.

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Sources