Flower profile

Wyoming paintbrush

Castilleja linariifolia

★ Official state flower of Wyoming (1917)Native in the lower 48

Wyoming paintbrush is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–October.

10states

3of our state lists

5,216U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Nevada, Utah, Wyoming

🏅

Wyoming's official state flower since 1917. Visit the Wyoming page → ^{Wyo. Stat. § 8-3-104}

Quick look

Castilleja linariifolia is a perennial plant, native to the United States and is the state flower of Wyoming. It has a number of common names including Wyoming paintbrush and Wyoming paintedcup.
From Wikipedia's article Castilleja linariifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Utah, Nevada and Wyoming. ^NatureServe
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–November. ^iNaturalist
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,331 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #35 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 646 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #53 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 332 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #89 among the 107 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist

Wyoming paintbrush gift ideas

Handmade wyoming paintbrush gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Wyoming paintbrush art print
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Wyoming paintbrush greeting card
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Wyoming paintbrush mug
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Wyoming paintbrush earrings
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Wyoming paintbrush embroidery pattern
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Wyoming paintbrush sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (683 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Utah	Native	June–November	1,331
Nevada	Native	June–October	646
Wyoming	Native	July–September	332

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records wyoming paintbrush in 10 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine.

Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton.

More Utah flowers

Elephant's-Head lousewort

Pedicularis groenlandica

Native

🌼 Blooms in UT: June–August

Giant red paintbrush

Castilleja miniata

Native

🌼 Blooms: June–September

Desert paintbrush

Castilleja chromosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in UT: March–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CALI4.
iNaturalist, Castilleja linariifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Castilleja linariifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Wyo. Stat. § 8-3-104: Wyoming state flower.
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Castilleja linariifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: StarStats via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.