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bract lousewort, fernleaf, towering lousewort, wood-betony

pédiculaire parviflore, small-flower lousewort

Habit Plants 20–80 cm. Plants 7–65 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 0–2, blade elliptic, 3–7 x 2–5 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, dentate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 0–12, blade lanceolate or elliptic to deltate, 5–50 x 3–20 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous.

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 or paniculate, 1–4, exceeding basal leaves, each 3–12-flowered;

bracts deltate to trullate, 5–30 x 3–15 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins serrate, surfaces glabrous or slightly arachnoid.

Pedicels

0.5–1 mm.

1–2.5 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 5.5–8 mm, glabrous, lobes 2(–4), deltate, 2–3.5 mm, apex pinnatifid, sometimes 2-fid into triangular lobes, entire, glabrous;

corolla 8–16 mm, tube light pink to purple, 5–11 mm;

galea purple, 3–6 mm, beakless, margins 1-toothed medially, entire distally, apex arching slightly over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip pink to purple, sometimes purple-spotted, 2–5 mm.

Pedicularis bracteosa

Pedicularis parviflora

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Muskegs, boggy flood plains, gravel stream bars, moist meadows, sedge meadows, fens, bogs, black spruce-tamarack wetlands.
Elevation 0–900 m. [0–3000 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; SK; YT
[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.)

Pedicularis parviflora belongs to a complex of taxa [including P. parviflora var. macrodontis (Richardson) S. L. Welsh, and P. pennellii] that have traditionally been treated as species, subspecies, or varieties. Two features unite this group: a highly branched paniculate raceme and a tooth on each medial margin of the galea covered with pyriform glands on the inner surface. Lack of apical teeth sets P. parviflora apart from P. palustris and P. pennellii, which have both sets of teeth.

The distinction of Pedicularis macrodontis is not clear. With a galea that lacks apical teeth, it is clearly associated with P. parviflora, but there are no unique characters to set it apart as a distinct species; all foliar and floral features are very similar. A number of intermediate specimens were seen, suggesting a lack of reproductive barriers; treatment as a variety of P. parviflora, following S. L. Welsh (1974), may be warranted, but further research is required before recognizing it as a taxon.

(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. langsdorffii, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, P. parryi, 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
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
Synonyms P. macrodontis
Name authority Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 110. (1838) Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 26: Pedicularis no. 4. (1813)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 515. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart. FNA vol. 17, p. 528. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart.
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