Pedicularis contorta |
Pedicularis parviflora |
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coil-beak lousewort, coiled lousewort, coiled pedicularis, curve-beak lousewort, curved-beak lousewort, white coiled-beak lousewort |
pédiculaire parviflore, small-flower lousewort |
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Habit | Plants 10–50 cm. | Plants 7–65 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 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. |
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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 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. |
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Pedicels | 1.5–5.5 mm. |
1–2.5 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 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. |
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Pedicularis contorta |
Pedicularis parviflora |
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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 |
CA; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
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AK; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; SK; YT |
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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.) |
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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 519. | FNA vol. 17, p. 528. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | P. macrodontis | |||||||||
Name authority | Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 108. (1838) | Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 26: Pedicularis no. 4. (1813) | ||||||||
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