Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun
Height: 1-2 feet
Bloom Color: Inconspicuous. The red, showy “flowers” are actually bracts.
Bloom Season: April – September

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Scarlet Paintbrush is a very showy annual wildflower that grows best on damp sandy soils. It is hemiparasitic – it photosynthesizes but also parasitizes native perennial grasses for nutrients. It does not like to be transplanted or moved in the garden, but can be transplanted successfully from a pot to the garden.

Native Range: Native to the eastern U.S.

Pollinators: Hummingbirds and bees.

Flowers: The flowers are 1″ long yellow tubes hidden in the red bracts.

Leaves: The basal leaves are elliptical, form rosettes and have smooth leaf edges (not serrated). The stem leaves are narrow, deeply loped, alternately attached and stalkless (not petioles).

Other Names: Painted Cup, Indian Paintbrush

More information: USDA plant profile