Burke: Pedicularis contorta

	Pedicularis contorta
	white coiled-beak lousewort
Habit	Glabrous perennial from a stout woody base, the stems clustered, 1.5-6 dm. tall
Leaves	Basal leaves 5-18 cm. long, the blade slightly longer than the petiole, pinnate, the leaflets narrow, well-spaced, serrate; cauline leaves few, similar, but much reduced upward.
Flowers	Inflorescence an open, spike-like, elongate raceme, the bracts deeply trifid; calyx tube pale between the 5 darker veins; calyx lobes 5, narrow, entire, the upper one the shortest; corolla white to pale, creamy yellow, often finely marked with purple, about 1 cm. long, bilabiate, the upper lip hooded, strongly arched, tapered into a down-curved, beak curved to one side; the lower lip only slightly 3-lobed, nearly as long as the upper beak; stigma capitate.
Fruits	Capsule glabrous, flattened, curved.

	Pedicularis contorta
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Open wooded slopes and drier meadows at high elevations in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana and Wyoming. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. bracteosa, P. groenlandica, P. ornithorhynchos, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. rainierensis
Subordinate taxa	P. contorta var. contorta
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Pedicularis contorta

white coiled-beak lousewort

Habit

Glabrous perennial from a stout woody base, the stems clustered, 1.5-6 dm. tall

Leaves

Basal leaves 5-18 cm. long, the blade slightly longer than the petiole, pinnate, the leaflets narrow, well-spaced, serrate;

cauline leaves few, similar, but much reduced upward.

Flowers

Inflorescence an open, spike-like, elongate raceme, the bracts deeply trifid;

calyx tube pale between the 5 darker veins;

calyx lobes 5, narrow, entire, the upper one the shortest;

corolla white to pale, creamy yellow, often finely marked with purple, about 1 cm. long, bilabiate, the upper lip hooded, strongly arched, tapered into a down-curved, beak curved to one side; the lower lip only slightly 3-lobed, nearly as long as the upper beak;

stigma capitate.

Fruits

Capsule glabrous, flattened, curved.