Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Sunday - February 08, 2015

From: Elmendorf, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Picture of Castilleja purpurea
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Can you tell me what the seedling for Castilleja purpurea looks like? Or do you have a picture?

ANSWER:

The only photo I could find of Castilleja purpurea (Prairie paintbrush) is a photo on the USDA Plants Database webpage. It shows several plants with blooms but also several small seedlings. You can see a photo of the seedling of the related species, Castilleja indivisa (Entireleaf indian paintbrush), on the Wildseed Farms webpage. Also, there are photos below of the seedlings of Castilleja indivisa and photos of both species of mature plants.

From the Image Gallery

Texas indian paintbrush
Castilleja indivisa

Prairie paintbrush
Castilleja purpurea