Indian paintbrush

noun

1

: any of a genus (Castilleja of the family Orobanchaceae) of chiefly American herbaceous plants that have brightly colored bracts

called also painted cup

2

: orange hawkweed

Illustration of Indian paintbrush

Examples of Indian paintbrush in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trails like Matt Davis, Steep Ravine, and Cataract Falls usually offer good opportunities to see lupines, Indian paintbrush, checkerbloom, Douglas iris, buttercups, and western blue-eyed grass. —Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 20 Mar. 2025

Hikers can enjoy the coastal sage scrub vegetation, including blooming plants like Indian paintbrush, California broom and black sage. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024

The federally endangered Bear Valley sandwort, Ash-gray Indian paintbrush, and southern mountain wild-buckwheat are no match for the cascading impacts of soil disturbances caused by burros on the move. —Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023

The trails are generally free of snow, warm weather blankets the alpine, and meadows of fiery wavy-leaf Indian paintbrush and fuchsia monkeyflowers burst into bloom. —Emily Pennington, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 June 2023

The Indian paintbrush is Wyoming's state flower. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023

And there is Indian paintbrush that’s a reddish orange. —Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 30 June 2022

Other blooms include golden-beard penstemon, Indian paintbrush, yarrow and goldeneye. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2022

You are humbled by the leviathan Sierra peaks, overwhelmed by the beauty of blooming Indian paintbrush, the intricate coloration of these wild trout, or the softness of summer meadows blanketed in moss heather. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Indian paintbrush

• airbrush
• hairbrush
• inrush
• onrush
• sagebrush
• blush
• brush
• crush
• flush
• gush
• hush
• lush

Kids Definition

Indian paintbrush

noun

1

: any of a large genus of mostly American herbs that have spikes of flowers with brightly colored bracts

2

: orange hawkweed