Pedicularis bracteosa
Pedicularis groenlandica
bract lousewort, fernleaf, towering lousewort, wood-betony
bull elephant's-head, elephant's head, elephant's head pedicularis, elephant's-head lousewort, elephant-head lousewort, pédiculaire du groenland
basal 0–10, blade lanceolate, 20–120 x 10–60 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 4–10, blade lanceolate, 10–270 x 8–150 mm, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate to 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous or scattered glandular.
basal 5–20, blade lanceolate, 20–150 x 5–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid or slightly 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 3–31, blade lanceolate, 10–150 x 1–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
simple, 1–4, exceeding basal leaves, each 15–75-flowered;
bracts lanceolate or subulate to trullate, 10–20 x 2–10 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous, hispid, or tomentose.
simple, 1 or 2, exceeding basal leaves, each 20–75-flowered;
bracts linear to trullate, 5–10 x 2–10 mm, undivided to pinnatifid, margins entire, serrate, or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.
0.5–1 mm.
0.5–1 mm.
calyx 7–15 mm, glabrous or tomentose, lobes 5, triangular or filiform, 1–10 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;
corolla 14–27 mm, tube yellow or dark blood red, 6–12 mm;
galea yellow to yellow tinged with red, purple tinged with yellow, or dark blood red, 6–15 mm, beakless or beaked, beak straight, 0.8–2.5 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;
abaxial lip expanded, yellow, yellow tinged with purple, or dark blood red, 4.5–6.5 mm.
calyx 3–5 mm, glabrous or hispid, lobes 5, deltate, 0.5–1.5 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 5–8 mm, tube purple, rarely white, 3–5 mm;
galea pink to purple, rarely white, 1.5–3 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 5–18 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex not surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly horizontal;
abaxial lip pendulous, purple, rarely white, 2–5 mm.
= 16.
Pedicularis bracteosa
Pedicularis groenlandica
Varieties 8 (8 in the flora).
Pedicularis bracteosa is found in subalpine habitats across much of western North America, occurring throughout the Rocky Mountains from central British Columbia and Alberta to northern New Mexico, as well as the Coast Range south to northern California.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Pedicularis groenlandica has a domed galea, a long, curved beak, and relatively large lateral lobes of the abaxial lip that remarkably resemble the head, trunk, and ears of an elephant. Pedicularis groenlandica is the most widely distributed Pedicularis species in North America; it occurs from the southern Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains well into the Arctic and Greenland.
Pedicularis attollens and P. groenlandica are sympatric in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades of central and southern Oregon and can be difficult to distinguish. Pedicularis groenlandica is distinguished by the size and orientation of the beak and color of the corolla; the beak is over twice the length of the beak of P. attollens and is oriented more horizontally compared to the upturned beak of P. attollens. Beak orientation is very difficult to ascertain in herbarium material due to flattening; beak length is a better character on herbarium specimens. The corollas of P. groenlandica are purple with lighter purple to pinkish abaxial lips, whereas the corollas of P. attollens vary from pink to light pink often with conspicuous dark purple spots on the galeas. White-flowered forms of P. groenlandica (forma pallida Lepage) are occasionally seen.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Galeas beaked. | → 2 |
2. Calyces tomentose. | var. canbyi |
2. Calyces glabrous. | var. siifolia |
1. Galeas beakless. | → 3 |
3. Calyx lobes filiform. | → 4 |
4. Corollas: tubes yellow, galeas yellow to yellow tinged with red, or purple tinged with yellow, abaxial lips yellow to yellow tinged with purple. | var. bracteosa |
4. Corollas: tubes, galeas, and abaxial lips dark blood red. | var. atrosanguinea |
3. Calyx lobes triangular. | → 5 |
5. Galeas 10–15 mm. | var. paysoniana |
5. Galeas 7–11 mm. | → 6 |
6. Galea apices acute; British Colombia, Idaho, Washington. | var. latifolia |
6. Galea apices obtuse; Blue and Wallowa mountains, Cascade Range, Oregon and Washington. | → 7 |
7. Calyces slightly hispid; Cascade Range, Oregon and Washington. | var. flavida |
7. Calyces tomentose; Blue and Wallowa mountains, Oregon, and Washington. | var. pachyrhiza |
BC
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
SW CO Wildflowers
