Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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?

Share

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

Tuesday - November 05, 2013

From: Corona, CA
Region: California
Topic: Propagation, Transplants, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Transplanting Indian Paintbrush in Corona CA
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have a very mature Indian Paintbrush Plant that was becoming too large for the area I had originally planted it in, so I transplanted it to an area much more suited for its size. I reviewed the questions here and found one in Oregon in which you say it will die. I am in Southern California, is there anything I can do to keep it from dying?

ANSWER:

First of all, we tried to narrow down what Indian Paintbrush you have growing in Riverside County California. By searching on the genus Castillea in our Native Plant Database, we found 51 species native to North America and 19 to California. By going to the USDA Plant Profile Map on each of those, we found 4 native to Riverside County:

Castilleja foliolosa (Texas indian paintbrush)

Castilleja linariifolia (Wyoming indian paintbrush)

Castilleja miniata (Giant red indian paintbrush)

Castilleja minor ssp. spiralis (Lesser indian paintbrush)

We don't know which of these, if any, are the ones that you wish to transplant but they should all follow basically the same growing rules. You can follow each of the above links to our webpage on that plant to learn their growng conditions. Most of those webpages have the following statement:

"Conditions Comments: Roots grow until they touch the roots of other plants, frequently grasses, then penetrate the roots of these host plants, obtaining a portion of their nutrients. Transplanting paintbrush usually kills it."

This doesn't differentiate over soils, growing conditions or location, but is just a statement of fact about the chemistry of the plant. You could always try transplanting your oversize plant as an experiment and perhaps prove our information wrong. However, these propagation instructions, also from our webpages on Castillea would indicate you will be safer planting seeds near some host plant that produces nitrogen to share with the hemiparasitic Indian Paintbrush.

"Propagation

Description: Sow seeds in fall with seeds of an herbaceous perennial. Bouteloua gracilis has been recommended as a host.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: No treatment.
Commercially Avail: yes"

 

From the Image Gallery


Texas indian paintbrush
Castilleja foliolosa

Wyoming indian paintbrush
Castilleja linariifolia

Giant red indian paintbrush
Castilleja miniata

Lesser indian paintbrush
Castilleja minor ssp. spiralis

More Transplants Questions

Why isn't my recently planted Mexican Redbud growing in Georgetown, TX?
April 11, 2010 - I planted a container-grown Mexican Redbud in early March. As of April 5th, it is showing no signs of buds or leaves. Other redbuds in the area (possibly Texas redbuds) have been blooming for severa...
view the full question and answer

Moving Iris bulbs
April 15, 2011 - I will be moving and want to take my Iris bulbs with me. Can I dig them up now that they are in flower?
view the full question and answer

Replanting a blue agave in Rio Rancho NM
January 11, 2010 - I have acquired a Blue Agave, approximately 4-5 ft high. It still appears quite healthy. It was used over the holiday season for display purposes in a liquor store. Unfortunately, the root ball has be...
view the full question and answer

Penstemon digitalis not blooming in Hebron, NE.
May 22, 2010 - My Beardtongue plants are too close together. Can I transplant my Penstemon digitalis now, even though the plant is approx. 20" tall? It is not blooming.
view the full question and answer

Caterpillars ate my Sophora in La Mesa, CA.
July 06, 2011 - Before I noticed what was happening, my newly-planted 1 foot tall Sophora secundiflora was eaten by caterpillars. It now has no foliage. Do you think it will leaf out again?
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.