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Purple Owl's Clover
Castilleja exserta
  
9 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Purple Owl's Clover (Castilleja exserta) 9 Nurseries Carry This Plant Purple owl's clover (Castilleja exserta) is an annual in the same species as the Indian paintbrushes. It was formerly included in the genus Orthocarpus, and some sources may still refer to it by that name. Although this species is variable in appearance and easily hybridizes with other Castilleja, it generally bears shaggy pink-purple or lavender flower clusters that resemble clover (though they are not related). The thin, erect leaves are usually tipped with the same color, giving the flower cluster the appearance of a paintbrush. It produces pods containing seeds.

The plant's showy appearance when in flower makes it a great fit for informal meadows and related landscapes. Like other related plants in the family, purple owl's clover derives some of its nutrients directly from the roots of other plants. Therefore, it is almost always planted, or grown from seed, with a perennial species from its natural plant community to serve as the host plant, such as a native grass. It takes full sun, prefers fast-draining soil but is tolerant of sand and clay. It does not need summer water.

The flowers attract bees and butterflies. It is a crucial host plant for the Bay Checkerspot butterfly, a threatened species in California, and hosts a likely total of 12 species of butterfly and moth.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual Herb

Size
Size
1.5 ft tall
1 ft wide

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Flower Color
Flower Color
Lavender, Pink, Purple, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
The flowers attract bees and butterflies. This is a crucial host plant for the Bay Checkerspot butterfly, a threatened species in California. The Castilleja genus is beneficial for the Leanira Checkerspot and Chalcedon Checkerspot butterflies.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 12 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Junonia coenia Image
Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia
Euphydryas chalcedona Image
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona
Schinia pulchripennis Image
Schinia pulchripennisSchinia pulchripennis
Schinia crotchii Image
Schinia crotchiiSchinia crotchii
*
Chlosyne palla Image
Northern Checkerspot Chlosyne pallaChlosyne palla
*
Euphydryas editha Image
Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha
*
Chlosyne leanira Image
Leanira Checkerspot Chlosyne leaniraChlosyne leanira

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 9

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of sand and clay, prefers fast-draining soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use in a meadow-like planting with other annuals such as Clarkis spp., California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Baby Blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii), and Lupine (Lupinus spp.); also with geophytes such as Wild Onions (Allium spp.), Ithuriels's Spear (Triteleia laxa), Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), and Mariposa Lily (Calochortus spp.).

Propagation
Propagation?
By seed. It must be planted with a perennial host plant such as a native grass (Stipa, Fescue, or other species). Some propagation protocols also recommend Beardtongue (Penstemon spp.), Common Spikeweed (Hemizonia pungens), Low Barley (Hordeum depressum), or Alkali-Sink Goldfields (Lasthenia chrysantha).

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Grasslands and openings in chaparral or woodlands; occasionally in desert areas

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 68.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 2.98", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 58.8", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 87.5", Humidity: 0.19" - 38.31", Elevation: -73" - 11310"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Orthocarpus purpurascens
Common Names: Exserted Indian Paintbrush


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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