Ultimately, these plants require two to three feet of space, so plant groups of seeds two to three feet apart, and a quarter to half an inch deep. When you are ready to sow, prepare the planting area by removing any weeds. This type of salvia has better germination rates after a period of cold, moist stratification, so these seeds should be sown directly in the fall, or in the spring after chilling in the fridge.įor spring sowings, place desert sage seeds in moist sand and store in the refrigerator for six weeks prior to planting.
#Desert indian paintbrush plant nursery how to
We’ll discuss the process for both of these methods as well as covering how to transplant potted specimens.
dorrii achieved more widespread name recognition when it was prominently featured in a 1912 Western novel by Zane Grey, entitled, “Riders of the Purple Sage.” Propagationĭesert sage can be propagated via seed or cuttings. In addition to its reputation as a medicinal plant, S. This arid climate species has a wide history of ethnobotanical uses.Īmong its numerous medicinal uses, it has been used by the Northern Paiute as a cold remedy, the Shoshoni for treating upset stomachs, and by the Kawaiisu to alleviate headaches. Despite a number of curious and interesting aspects of this plant, I find its primary value in its ability to paint dry gray-brown grassy expanses with delightful splotches of vibrant color.Photo by Walter Siegmund, Wikimedia Commons, via CC BY-SA. And a poultice made from the leaves has been used to treat burns.
The dried bracts are mixed with chile seeds to prevent spoilage. Southwestern Indian paintbrush has several traditional uses including as an ingredient in paints and dyes, such as those used to dye deerskins. Indian paintbrushes have traditionally been classified in the snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae), but recent DNA analyses have necessitated moving the genus Castilleja to the related broomrape family (Orobanchaceae) which includes a number of completely parasitic plants. Indian paintbrushes are also known to be hosts for checkerspot butterflies. The fruit is a dry capsule containing many small seeds. The pollen is produced by four stamens located inside each of the green floral tubes and is usually transferred by hummingbirds. The true petals of Indian paintbrushes form tubular green structures that partially emerge from the uppermost bracts, or in some cases the colored sepals. These bracts appear at the end of the stems and are red-orange in Castilleja integra: they may be red, orange, or even yellow in other species. What most would call the showy colored petals are actually bracts (modified leaves found at the base of flowers) and technically not part of the actual flower. In addition to their somewhat deceptive nutritional strategy, the flowers of Indian paintbrushes are also not exactly what they appear to be. Because of their hemiparasitic lifestyle, Indian paintbrushes are notoriously difficult to transplant, and reputable nurseries will only sell them growing in association with an appropriate “nurse plant.” They are certainly capable of making their own food photosynthetically, but they also rely on neighboring “host” plants (usually grasses, such as the blue grama in the photo below) to complete their nutritional requirements. Because such roots are able to acquire water and nutrients from their neighbors, Indian paintbrushes are classified as hemiparasites. The main root is woody and the feeder roots are capable of tapping into the roots of nearby plants as they grow through the soil. Each leaf is sessile (attached directly to the stem, therefore lacking a petiole) with a smooth upper surface and a fuzzy underside. The stems have whitish woolly hairs and bear thin leaves up to two inches long in an alternate arrangement. Southwestern Indian paintbrush is a perennial with one to several erect stems growing to about 16 inches in height. Other common names for Castilleja integra include foothills paintbrush, wholeleaf Indian paintbrush, and squawfeather. The genus name honors the 18th century Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo, and the species epitaph means whole or unbroken, describing the lack of lobes or teeth on the leaves and most of the bracts. Of the 20 native species of Indian paintbrushes in New Mexico, the Southwestern Indian paintbrush, Castilleja integra, is the most common in Deer Canyon. Indian paintbrushes are among the most familiar southwestern wildflowers and they actually do look very much like the plant was plucked out of the ground, inverted, and carefully dipped in a bucket of paint.
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