Home/Species/ Coville's Indian-paintbrush

Castilleja covilleana

Henderson

Coville's Indian-paintbrush

G4Apparently Secure Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134450

Element CodePDSCR0D0K0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderScrophulariales

FamilyOrobanchaceae

GenusCastilleja

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2025-04-21

Change Date2025-04-21

Edition Date2025-04-21

Edition Authorsrev. A. Olivero (2002), rev. Johnson, J. (2025)

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Castilleja covilleana is a partially parasitic perennial herb from the western United States in central and southern Idaho and southwest Montana. Despite its limited geographic range, Castilleja covilleana is abundant within that range. With a large number of occurrences, relatively common habitat, and low threats to most populations, this species is apparently secure.

Range Extent Comments

Castilleja covilleana occurs in the western United States in central Idaho and adjacent Montana (FNA 2019). It has also been collected occasionally in the mountains of southern Cassia County in southeastern Idaho (CPNWH 2025). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (CPNWH 2025, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are more than 150 occurrences rangewide (CPNWH 2025, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

Threat Impact Comments

Non-native plant species have been documented at some occurrences but are presently not considered a widespread or severe threat. Timber harvest may be a threat but surveys and monitoring are needed to identify scope and severity of this threat. Because Castilleja covilleana grows in open habitats, impacts would be caused by logging activity, not the loss of forest canopy. Avoiding Castilleja covilleana populations when planning logging roads and staging areas would minimize impacts from timber harvesting. Plants have been collected from areas where past fire scars are evident, indicating that this species can either survive fires or quickly recolonize a burned area (CPNWH 2025).

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Coville Indian Paintbrush is a perennial with clusters of several unbranched, erect or ascending stems, which can be up to 30 cm tall. All leaves but the lowermost are deeply divided into 3-7 spreading, linear lobes, and are alternate on the stem. The herbage is covered with long, soft hairs. The inflorescence is usually bright red or scarlet, but may be orange or even red; it is short and compact at first, but elongates greatly at maturity. The colored flower bracts are deeply 5-7 parted and at least as long as the flowers. The corolla is 20-35 mm long, and the hooded upper lip is 1/2-2/3 the length of the tubular portion. The calyx is 15-25 mm long and more deeply divided above than below.

Diagnostic Characteristics

This species can be distinguished from other red paintbrushes in its range by the covering of long, soft hairs (rather than stiff and straight), and by the middle leaf segments that are almost as narrow as the lateral segments.

Habitat

Castilleja covilleana grows on rocky, talus, or stony substrates of slopes and ledges, and ridges, often in open conifer forests, in montane to alpine areas (FNA 2019).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandAlpineBare rock/talus/scree

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Montana	S3	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
5 - Biological resource use	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
5.3.5 - Motivation unknown/unrecorded	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.1.1 - Unspecified species	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (8)

Idaho (8)

Area	Forest	Acres
Boulder - White Clouds	Salmon-Challis National Forest	139,297
Boulder - White Clouds	Sawtooth National Forest	322,653
Needles	Payette National Forest	131,279
Peace Rock	Boise National Forest	191,734
Pioneer Mountains	Salmon-Challis National Forest	172,460
Pioneer Mountains	Sawtooth National Forest	119,563
Secesh	Payette National Forest	248,088
West Meadow Creek	Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest	115,949

References (10)

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (CPNWH). 2025. Online database of vascular plant specimens from the Pacific Northwest. Online. Available: http://www.pnwherbaria.org/index.php (accessed 2025).
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2019. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 17: Magnoliophyta: Tetrachondraceae to Orobanchaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 737 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
Hitchcock, C.L., and A. Cronquist. 1974. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An illustrated manual. 2nd printing, with corrections. Univ. Washington Press, Seattle. xix + 730 pp.
iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2024. Version: 1.1.1 (released Oct 01, 2024).
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).

Castilleja covilleana

Description

Diagnostic Characteristics

Habitat

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