# Painted-cup Paintbrush (*Castilleja coccinea*) The Painted-cup Paintbrush is a bright and colorful flower that looks like a paintbrush dipped in paint! It grows in sunny places and attracts butterflies and bees with its vibrant colors. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Painted-cup Paintbrush](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Castilleja_coccinea.jpg&width=800) Photo: Mason Brock ( Masebrock ), Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castilleja_coccinea.jpg) ## Appearance The Painted-cup Paintbrush has vibrant, flame-like clusters of red, orange, or yellow bracts at the top of its stems. These showy, leaf-like structures largely overshadow the true, tiny green flowers nestled within. Its striking, brush-stroke appearance makes it easily recognizable in meadows. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Orobanchaceae - **Genus:** Castilleja ## Interesting facts - Hummingbirds love to visit these plants, drinking sweet nectar from deep inside the blossoms. - Its real flowers are tiny green tubes, completely hidden by the brilliant colored 'leaves'! - Some Native American cultures traditionally used its vibrant colors to make beautiful dyes. - This plant is a 'hemiparasite', secretly borrowing water and nutrients from its neighbors! ## Special abilities - **Root Sharer:** Painted-cup Paintbrush can connect its roots to nearby plants, stealing their water and nutrients to help it thrive in tough soils. - **Hummingbird Beacon:** Painted-cup Paintbrush has brilliant red and orange bracts that mimic petals, helping it attract pollinators like hummingbirds from afar. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 20-60 cm - **Spread:** 10-20 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Bird ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** [Ruby-throated Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ruby-throated-hummingbird) (*Archilochus colubris*) — visits for nectar, attracted to red bracts - **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects pollen and nectar - **Parasitizes:** [Kentucky Bluegrass](https://www.snappit.app/explore/kentucky-bluegrass) (*Poa pratensis*) — siphons water and nutrients from roots ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't pick flowers without asking an adult, so they can keep growing for everyone to enjoy! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Painted-cup Paintbrush? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Painted-cup Paintbrush? 20-60 cm ### How wide does Painted-cup Paintbrush spread? 10-20 cm ### How big are the flowers on Painted-cup Paintbrush? 1-2 cm ### When does Painted-cup Paintbrush bloom? Spring to summer ### Is Painted-cup Paintbrush edible? No ### Is Painted-cup Paintbrush toxic? Mild ### What is Painted-cup Paintbrush's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Devil's Kitchen](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/devils-kitchen) — Michigan, US · Nature Reserve - [Gary City Center Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gary-city-center-historic-district) — Indiana, US · Historic District - [Gensburg-Markham Prairie](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gensburg-markham-prairie) — Illinois, US · Nature Reserve - [North Fork Valley Rural Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/north-fork-valley-rural-historic-district) — Virginia, US · Historic District - [Rugby](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rugby) — Tennessee, US · Neighborhood [View all places to see Painted-cup Paintbrush](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/painted-cup-paintbrush) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Painted-cup Paintbrush: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/painted-cup-paintbrush)