Longleaf paintbrush

Long leaf paintbrush is a perennial plant that is 18 to 120 centimeters (7.1–47.2 in) tall when fully grown. Its single to multiple stems sprout from a woody caudex topping a taproot. The stems can grow straight upward, lean outward somewhat, or rest against nearby plants and shrubs in variety jepsonii. It is gray-green to purple in herbage color, and usually hairy. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 centimeters long. The inflorescence is up to 40 centimeters long and is made up of long, pointed bracts tipped in bright red-orange to deep red. Between the colorful bracts appear lighter flowers, which are yellow-green to pinkish and hairy.

Long leaf paintbrush grows in central and southern California and in northern Baja California. The species can be found from sea level to elevations of 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) in the Sierra Nevada. The variety franciscana grows in the coastal sage scrub plant community. Variety jepsonii grows in the chaparral, California oak woodland, and desert scrub. Variety subinclusa also grows in pine-oak woods.