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dwarf lousewort, Great Basin lousewort

Howell lousewort, Howell's lousewort, Howell's pedicularis

Habit Plants 4–12 cm. Plants 15–40 cm.
Leaves

basal 6–8, blade elliptic or spatulate, 35–120 x 10–30 mm, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or extensively overlapping distally, entire or 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous or scattered abaxial glands;

cauline 0–4, blade elliptic, sometimes lanceolate, 20–110 x 5–30 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes overlapping distally, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

basal 1–4, blade elliptic to lanceolate, 20–60 x 15–40 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 10–12, blade ovate to lanceolate, 25–60 x 15–40 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, sometimes auricled, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, entire or serrate to crenate, surfaces glabrous or scattered woolly along main vein.

Racemes

simple, 1–4, not exceeding basal leaves, each 8–14-flowered;

bracts spatulate, 40–60 x 3–6 mm, undivided proximally, undivided or 1-pinnatifid distally, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous, sometimes arachnoid along main veins.

simple, 1–8, exceeding basal leaves, each 15–40-flowered;

bracts trullate to cordate, 6–8 x 4–8 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal entire, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.

Pedicels

1–5 mm.

2.5–3 mm.

Flowers

calyx 17–22 mm, glabrous, lobes 5, narrowly triangular, 4–7 mm, apex entire or serrate, glabrous or ciliate;

corolla 28–40 mm, tube white or pale purple, 15–30 mm;

galea white or pale purple, apically sometimes dark violet to purple, 13–15 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip purple, 1–4 mm.

calyx 6–6.5 mm, tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 1.5–2 mm, apex entire, ciliate;

corolla 10–13 mm, tube white, 6–8 mm;

galea white, apically sometimes tinged with red to violet, 3.5–5 mm, beaked, beak straight, 1–2 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex extending beyond abaxial lip;

abaxial lip white, 1.5–2 mm.

Pedicularis centranthera

Pedicularis howellii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Alpine forest clearings and edges.
Elevation 1100–2000.
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The leaves of Pedicularis centranthera exceed the inflorescence, giving the impression that the cauline leaves are basal. Proximalmost basal leaves are distinct: brown, membranous, and spatulate with undivided and entire margins. Pedicularis semibarbata has similar basal leaves.

Pedicularis centranthera occurs in evergreen forests, often under pinyon pine, juniper, ponderosa pine, and yellow pine.

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

Pedicularis howellii is found in the Siskiyou Mountains along the California/Oregon border; it has undivided distal leaves. The division of the proximal leaves into irregular and asymmetric lobes, sometimes appearing auricled, is a unique feature of this species.

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

Key
1. Bracts arachnoid and/or margins ciliate.
var. centranthera
1. Bracts glabrous.
var. exulans
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 518. FNA vol. 17, p. 523.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis
Sibling taxa
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. bracteosa, P. canadensis, P. capitata, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. centranthera var. centranthera, P. centranthera var. exulans
Name authority A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 120. (1859) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 307. (1885)
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