Red paint comes in all colors, part 2
In the last post you heard that Castilleja purpurea comes in various colors, in spite of the species name purpurea. The yellow strain of prairie paintbrush is classified as Castilleja purpurea var. citrina—think about citrus and in particular lemons.
As was true of the last picture, I took this one along US 84 near the town of Coleman, Texas, on the way back from Lubbock to Austin on April 17th.
© 2014 Steven Schwartzman
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So I wanted to know if these flowers could be used as paintbrushes; the answer seems to be yes “Various tribes used the flowering parts as a paintbrush.” http://aces.nmsu.edu/pes/lowwaterplants/indian-paintbrush.html
Gallivanta
May 19, 2014 at 6:28 AM
That’s good research. Delena Tull notes that “Several native American tribes used various species of paintbrushes for tan to rust-colored dyes….”
Steve Schwartzman
May 19, 2014 at 6:44 AM
Ah! Now all we need is an example of this artwork. I think that might be a step too far for my research capabilities.
Gallivanta
May 19, 2014 at 7:50 AM
This color looks just as nice as the purple one, but maybe the other one is more eye-catching.
neihtn2012
May 19, 2014 at 7:07 AM
The yellow variety is at a disadvantage, especially after rain, because its lighter color more readily reveals specks of dirt and other imperfections. Too bad I didn’t find a more pristine yellow specimen to show you.
Steve Schwartzman
May 19, 2014 at 7:20 AM
[…] Most Castilleja species I’ve seen in person or in pictures have had reddish-orange bracts. The closest in color that any central Texas Castilleja species comes to what you see in this photograph is Castilleja purpurea var. citrina. […]
And what is so rare as a day in June?* | Portraits of Wildflowers
September 8, 2016 at 5:01 AM
Even though this isn’t a pristine specimen, it’s lovely. I couldn’t quite get my mind around the different names (e.g. C. purpurea var. citrina or C. citrina. I wondered if there had been a change in names, or disagreement about them, and I found this article, which may help to explain why some authors, like Eason, have chosen different names.
shoreacres
August 8, 2018 at 9:59 PM
I’d noticed the name change in Eason, according to which what used to be considered three varieties of the purple species are now treated as three independent species, as explained in your link. Of course the new treatments, though easier for everyone to follow, would have prevented me from titling my three 2014 posts “Red paint comes in all colors.”
Steve Schwartzman
August 8, 2018 at 11:33 PM
And that, in my opinion, is the best argument for the way it used to be!
shoreacres
August 8, 2018 at 11:35 PM
Yes, it’d be a shame to ditch a good title. I got it in at the very end of the period when the getting was still good.
Steve Schwartzman
August 8, 2018 at 11:48 PM