W49 



WYOMING PAINTBRUSH 



Castille'ja linariaefo'lia, syn. C. af finis linariaefo'lia 



Flowers in bracted, terminal clusters 

 (spikes) 



Bracts of the flower cluster somewhat 

 petal-like, crimson, scarlet, or rose, X to 

 2 in. long, 3- to 5-lobed, usually long-hairy 



United petals (corolla) greenish yel- 

 low, tinged with scarlet, K to 2 in. 

 long, strongly 2-lipped, the upper lip 

 (galea) about as long as the tube 



Outer united flower parts (calyx) 

 about % to 1% in. long, mostly red or 

 crimson, narrowly cylindrical, 4-lobed, cut 

 much more deeply in front than behind 



Seed pod (capsule) 2-celled, splitting 

 down the middle of the back of each 

 cell; seeds numerous, net-veined 



Leaves alternate, 2 to 4 in. long, nar- 

 rowly linear, entire or divided into 

 linear lobes, dark green, hairless to 

 somewhat woolly-hairy 



Stems erect, tufted, up to 5 ft. high, 

 nearly hairless to densely hairy 



'Roots fibrous, perennial, partly para- 

 sitic on the roots of other plants 



MBA 



Wyoming paintbrush, a tufted perennial with red, rose, or crimson flower 

 clusters and narrow leaves, was selected in 1917 by the Wyoming Legislature 

 as the State flower of that Commonwealth. This species is known most 

 commonly as Indian paintbrush or narrowleaf paintbrush; the former name 

 is untenable, as it is the accepted common name for C. coccinea, an eastern 

 species which does not occur in Wyoming. Narrowleaf paintbrush is not a 

 distinctive name in a genus of typically narrow-leaved species. Furthermore, 

 it is not a literal translation of the specific name linariaefolia, which, alludes 

 to the resemblance of the leaves to those of the common bastard toadflax, 

 or butter-and-eggs (Linaria). Since the species has been selected as the State 

 flower of Wyoming it seems eminently fitting that it be christened with the 

 English name Wyoming paintbrush. 



Lith. A. Hoen & Co. 



