The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

bract lousewort, fernleaf, towering lousewort, wood-betony

Langsdorf's lousewort, Langsdorff's lousewort

Habit Plants 20–80 cm. Plants 4–30 cm.
Leaves

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 0–10, blade elliptic, 10–30 x 3–15 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 1–4, blade elliptic, 10–40 x 2–10 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, sometimes crenate, surfaces glabrous, sometimes sparsely tomentose.

Racemes

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, 1–6, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered;

bracts subulate or linear, 5–25 x 1–10 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, proximal margins entire, distal serrate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely tomentose to tomentose.

Pedicels

0.5–1 mm.

2.5–5 mm.

Flowers

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 6–11 mm, glabrous or +/- tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 2–5 mm, apex entire or serrate to dentate, glabrous;

corolla 17–25 mm, tube pink or lavender, 11–13 mm;

galea pink or lavender, 6–12 mm, beakless, margins entire medially, 1-toothed distally, apex strongly arching over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip pink or lavender, 5–8 mm.

Pedicularis bracteosa

Pedicularis langsdorffii

Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Pedicularis langsdorffii may be mistaken for P. hirsuta, P. lanata, and P. sudetica, which have similar growth forms and habitat requirements. Pedicularis langsdorffii generally has larger, pink to lavender corollas with toothed galeas that strongly arch over the abaxial lips in contrast to the smaller, toothless, pink corollas and slightly arching galeas of P. lanata. Pedicularis sudetica has up to five cauline leaves or lacks them. The straight, smaller galeas and pale pink or white corollas of P. hirsuta differentiate it from P. langsdorffii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis
Sibling taxa
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. canadensis, P. capitata, P. centranthera, P. chamissonis, P. contorta, P. crenulata, P. cystopteridifolia, P. densiflora, P. dudleyi, P. flammea, P. furbishiae, P. groenlandica, P. hirsuta, P. howellii, P. labradorica, P. lanata, P. lanceolata, P. langsdorffii, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, P. parryi, P. parviflora, P. pennellii, P. procera, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. bracteosa, P. canadensis, P. capitata, P. centranthera, P. chamissonis, P. contorta, P. crenulata, P. cystopteridifolia, P. densiflora, P. dudleyi, P. flammea, P. furbishiae, P. groenlandica, P. hirsuta, P. howellii, P. labradorica, P. lanata, P. lanceolata, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, P. parryi, P. parviflora, P. pennellii, P. procera, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
Subordinate taxa
P. bracteosa var. atrosanguinea, P. bracteosa var. bracteosa, P. bracteosa var. canbyi, P. bracteosa var. flavida, P. bracteosa var. latifolia, P. bracteosa var. pachyrhiza, P. bracteosa var. paysoniana, P. bracteosa var. siifolia
P. langsdorffii subsp. arctica, P. langsdorffii subsp. langsdorffii
Key
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
1. Bracts and calyces glabrous.
subsp. langsdorffii
1. Bracts and calyces +/- tomentose.
subsp. arctica
Name authority Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 110. (1838) Fischer ex Steven: Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 6: 49, plate 9, fig. 2. (1822) — (as langsdorfii)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 515. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart. FNA vol. 17, p. 525. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart.
Web links