Pedicularis canadensis
Pedicularis attollens
beefsteak plant, Canadian lousewort, forest lousewort, pédiculaire du Canada, wood betony
attol lousewort, attoll lousewort, elephant snouts, little elephant head, little elephant's head, woolly Mammoth
basal 2–20, blade lanceolate, 15–100 x 3–40 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous or hispid;
cauline 1–10, blade lanceolate, 10–70 x 5–20 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous or hispid.
basal 5–25, blade elliptic, 60–150(or 200–250) x 3–23 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous or scattered glands;
cauline 2–20, blade elliptic, 5–50(–100) x 1–5 mm, undivided or 1(or 2)-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
simple, 1–5, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–40-flowered;
bracts lanceolate, ovate, spatulate, or trullate, 5–40 x 1–10 mm, undivided proximally, undivided to 1-pinnatifid distally, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, sometimes crenate, surfaces glabrous or hispid to tomentose.
simple, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered;
bracts lanceolate to triangular, 5–10 x 3–10 mm, pinnatifid, margins entire, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
1.5–2 mm.
1.2–1.6 mm.
calyx 7–12 mm, glabrous, hispid, or tomentose, lobes 2, triangular, 0.5–2 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;
corolla 18–25 mm, tube yellow, 8–15 mm;
galea yellow, yellow with red veins, or red, sometimes purple, 10–14 mm, beakless, margins entire medially, 1-toothed distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;
abaxial lip expanded, yellow or white, 6–7 mm.
calyx 4–5 mm, glabrous or tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 2–2.5 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 6–8 mm, tube pink, rarely white, 3–6 mm;
galea white or pink with 2 purple spots or stripes, 1–2 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 3–6 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex not surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly vertical;
abaxial lip pendulous, white or pink with purple stripe, 4–5.5 mm.
= 16.
= 16.
Pedicularis canadensis
Pedicularis attollens
Pedicularis canadensis is chiefly of the Midwestern prairies; in eastern states and provinces, it grows in forest openings and along forest edges. It also inhabits alpine wet meadows at higher elevations along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Corollas may be yellow, yellow with red veins, red (forma praeclara A. H. Moore), or bicolored with a yellow corolla tube, yellow abaxial lip, and red galea (forma bicolor Farwell).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
The flowers of Pedicularis attollens, like those of P. groenlandica, resemble an elephant’s head, and A. Heller placed them both in Elephantella. The short, upturned beak, in contrast to the long, more horizontal downturned beak of P. groenlandica, is a distinguishing feature of P. attollens. Whereas P. groenlandica occurs across much of western and arctic North America, P. attollens is found primarily in the Cascade Range of central and southern Oregon and the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. It is also reported from the Klamath Range to the west and the White and Sweetwater mountains and the Warner Range to the east of the Sierra Nevada.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal leaves 1-pinnatifid. | subsp. attollens |
1. Basal leaves 2-pinnatifid. | subsp. protogyna |
Go Botany
IL Wildflowers
KS Wildflowers
LA Plants
MD Biodiversity
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
