Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Castilleja exserta (Heller) Chuang & Heckard

Purple owl's clover, Owl's clover, Exserted Indian paintbrush, Escobita

Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Synonyms: Orthocarpus exserta

USDA Symbol: caex14

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

An erect, little plant with a rose and yellow or rose and white flower cluster; flowers and flower bracts velvety and rose-purple on divided tips.

Following a wet spring, acre upon acre is carpeted with this beautiful wildflower. The Spanish name, Escobita, means “little broom” and describes the flower cluster. The origin of the English common name is unknown, but it may refer to the swollen, head-like ends of the erect corollas that seem to peer from the bracts as owls peer from the leaves of a tree. Careful study has demonstrated that this plant is not an Orthocarpus, as previously classified (O. purpurascens), but instead belongs to a lineage of Castilleja.

 

From the Image Gallery

No images of this plant

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , HI , ID , NM
Native Distribution: Southern California to southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
Native Habitat: Fields, deserts, and open, wooded areas.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I)

Benefit

Use Food: Seeds harvested by indigenous Californians.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Sow seed shallowly in fall to take advantage of fall rains.

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski
Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Castilleja exserta in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Castilleja exserta in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Castilleja exserta

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-02-21
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back