Taxon: Castilleja tenuiflora Benth.

Summary

Genus:

Castilleja

Family:

Orobanchaceae

Nomen number:

432197

Place of publication:

Pl. hartw. 22. 1839

Verified:

03/13/2003 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

0 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System.

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Castilleja canescens Benth.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
Salcedo-Morales, G. et al. 2009. Propagation and conservation of Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. ("hierba del cancer") through in vitro culture. Polibotanica 28:119-137.
Vibrans, H., ed. Malezas de México (on-line resource).

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	note	seq	Citation
English	Santa Catalina Indian paintbrush			1	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Spanish	hierba de cancer			2	Salcedo-Morales, G. et al. 2009. Propagation and conservation of Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. ("hierba del cancer") through in vitro culture. Polibotanica 28:119-137.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Coahuila de Zaragoza	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Nuevo León	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Aguascalientes	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Ciudad de México	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guanajuato	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tlaxcala	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave	Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Ciudad de México, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Reference(s)

Nesom, G. L. 1992. Taxonomy of the Castilleja tenuiflora group (Scrophulariaceae) in Mexico, with an overview of sect. Castilleja. Phytologia 73:389.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=432197. Accessed 15 October 2026.