Castilleja foliolosa is a perennial wildflower that grows up to 60 centimeters tall and is coated in woolly white or gray branching hairs.

The leaves are linear in shape and up to 5 centimeters long.

The inflorescence is made up of layers of bracts tipped in bright orange-red to dull yellowish green.

Castilleja foliolosa is known in English by the common names of "felt paintbrush",[1] "chaparral paintbrush",[2] or "wooly painted-cup".

[3] It is also called "wooly paintbrush",[4] however it shares this name with the species Castilleja lanata.