Natural History Wanderings

Death Valley National Park reports

Driving through the desert hills in the springtime, a flash of brilliant red may catch your eye. That flash of red is almost certainly Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja augustifolia), one of the few really red flowers found in the desert, and the only one that grows at mid-elevations. But wait a minute – that red is not really a flower! The showy red petals are actually bracts which surround and hide the inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers.

The Desert Paintbrush is a plant that gets by with a little help from its friends. A member of the Broomrape family, the paintbrush is hemiparasitic, sinking rootlike projections called haustoria into the roots of surrounding vegetation to gain additional moisture and nutrients.

Native Americans called this plant snake’s friend. It was thought that rattlesnakes distilled their poison from the flowers. The flowers were also used in love charms, and a tea was made from the plant and used as love medicine. Showy and easy to recognize, Desert Paintbrush can be found in mid-elevations throughout Death Valley. (dm)

See photos at Death Valley National Park