Pedicularis contorta |
Pedicularis capitata |
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coil-beak lousewort, coiled lousewort, coiled pedicularis, curve-beak lousewort, curved-beak lousewort, white coiled-beak lousewort |
capitate lousewort, pédiculaire capitée |
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Habit | Plants 10–50 cm. | Plants 2–13.5 cm. | ||||||||
Leaves | basal 3–10, blade lanceolate, 30–100 x 5–30 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous; cauline 2–10, blade elliptic or triangular to lanceolate, 5–70 x 10–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous. |
basal 2 or 3, blade ovate or elliptic, 10–40 x 5–20 mm, 2(or 3)-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or extensively overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous or hirsute; cauline 0–2, blade elliptic, 5–25 x 5–10 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or extensively overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces scattered hispid. |
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Racemes | simple, 1–6, exceeding basal leaves, each 12–40-flowered; bracts trullate to obtrullate, 5–18 x 2–15 mm, pinnatifid, margins entire, surfaces glabrous. |
simple, capitate, 1 or 2, exceeding basal leaves, each 2–8-flowered; bracts subulate to narrowly lanceolate, 10–20(–50) x 6–8 mm, undivided proximally, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid distally, proximal margins entire, distal serrate, surfaces sparsely tomentose. |
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Pedicels | 1.5–5.5 mm. |
2–3 mm. |
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Flowers | calyx 5–9 mm, glabrous, lobes 5, triangular, 1–3 mm, apex entire, glabrous; corolla 7–13 mm, tube white or cream to yellowish or pink to pinkish purple, 4–7 mm; galea white or cream to yellowish with purple spots at base, or pink to pinkish purple, 2–5.5 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 5–9 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly vertical; abaxial lip surrounding beak, white or cream to yellowish, or pink to pinkish purple, 5–8 mm. |
calyx 10–15 mm, hirsute, lobes 5, triangular to spatulate, 4–6 mm, apex serrate, glabrous; corolla 19–40 mm, tube light yellow, sometimes cream to pink, 5–20 mm; galea light yellow, sometimes cream to pink, apically sometimes diffuse purple, 12–20 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching beyond abaxial lip; abaxial lip light yellow, sometimes cream to pink, 10–15 mm. |
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2n | = 16 (Asia). |
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Pedicularis contorta |
Pedicularis capitata |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | |||||||||
Habitat | Moist arctic and alpine tundras, heathlands, alpine slopes. | |||||||||
Elevation | 10–2100 m. (0–6900 ft.) | |||||||||
Distribution |
CA; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
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AK; AB; BC; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; n Asia
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Discussion | Varieties 3 (3 in the flora). The coiled beak that extends directly downward from the top of the galea is distinctive in Pedicularis contorta. Seen from the side, the large, upward-expanded, lateral lobes of the abaxial lip surround the beak, concealing it from view. The flowers of P. contorta are very similar to those of P. racemosa; however, the leaves of P. racemosa are undivided, the beak curves down and to one side, and the inflorescence often branches, forming a panicle of short racemes with long internodes between flowers. Flower and calyx color and width of the subtending floral bracts delimit three varieties in Pedicularis contorta; corolla color is difficult to discern in herbarium specimens. The following key is adapted from R. N. Reese (1984). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Inflorescences of Pedicularis capitata display no more than five clustered flowers; the long, vertical corolla tube and curved galea that arches over the appressed, broad lobes of the abaxial lip are distinctive. The tip of the galea can be the same color as the corolla tube and abaxial lip but sometimes is a diffuse pink to purple and not distinctly bicolored as in the galeas of P. flammea or P. oederi, with which it is often confused. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 519. | FNA vol. 17, p. 517. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 108. (1838) | Adams: Nouv. Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 5: 100. (1817) | ||||||||
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