Castilleja scabrida

Stems usually are decumbent, growing along the ground with upturned ends. Usually there are several stems without branches in each group. Leaves are most often gray-green, but occasionally reddish-purple or fully green. The lowest leaves are small, lack chlorophyll, and resemble scales or bracts on a tenth to quarter of the stem. The more fully developed leaves are 1.5 to 5 centimeters long and are linar to lanceolate, narrow and grass like to resembling a spear head, in shape. All the leaves can have smooth edges or the upper most leaves may have one or occasionally two pairs of side lobes. The inflorescence of the rough paintbrush is the most vividly colored of its genus. It is densely packed with flowers and hairy. The bracts surrounding the flowers are green or green-purple towards the base and usually bright red towards their ends, but can sometimes be brick-red or orange-red. They are linear to lanceolate and usually have three or five lobes, but will sometimes have seven. Their length is 2.5 to 10 cm and have a width of 2.5 to 5 cm.