Pedicularis contorta
Pedicularis semibarbata
coil-beak lousewort, coiled lousewort, coiled pedicularis, curve-beak lousewort, curved-beak lousewort, white coiled-beak lousewort
pine woods lousewort, pinewoods pedicularis
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 3–5, blade lanceolate or spatulate, 20–90 x 5–30 mm, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, entire or dentate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose;
cauline 1 or 2, blade lanceolate, 25–80 x 5–10 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate to dentate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
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, 1–5, not exceeding basal leaves, each 4–20-flowered;
bracts lanceolate to oblanceolate, 30–90 x 5–40 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid nearly to midrib, margins serrate to dentate, surfaces glabrous.
1.5–5.5 mm.
2–4 mm.
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 7–9 mm, glabrous or tomentose along veins, lobes 5, narrowly triangular, 1.5–5 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;
corolla 12–25 mm, tube light green or pale yellow, sometimes cream, 7–13 mm;
galea concolored, light green or pale yellow, sometimes cream, 5–12 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex nearly straight to arching slightly over abaxial lip;
abaxial lip yellow, sometimes cream, 4–7 mm.
= 16.
Pedicularis contorta
Pedicularis semibarbata
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.)
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
The basal and cauline leaves of Pedicularis semibarbata are distinctly one- or two-pinnatifid into deep pinnae and narrow subpinnae with serrate margins. The leaves and bracts far exceed the length of the inflorescence, often concealing it. Obvious spatulate, tan-colored, undivided, and membranous leaves are proximal to the divided basal leaves, but they are not as conspicuous as those of P. centranthera, a species with a similar growth form. Proximal floral bracts of P. semibarbata are similar to basal and cauline leaves, whereas in some specimens the distal bracts are spatulate and either once-divided or merely serrate at the apex. Surfaces of the corolla tube and sometimes the galea as well are hispid.
Pedicularis semibarbata grows under ponderosa pine, incense cedar, sugar pine, and white fir, primarily in the southern Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains of California, and the Mount Charleston region of Nevada.
The flowers of Pedicularis semibarbata in Yosemite National Park were pollinated only by Osmia tristella (L. W. Macior 1977).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Corolla tubes, galeas, and abaxial lips white or cream to yellowish, galeas with purple spots at base; calyces pale green. | var. contorta |
1. Corolla tubes, galeas, and abaxial lips pink to pinkish purple; calyces green or reddish with purple spots. | → 2 |
2. Calyces green; bracts 5–8 mm wide, proximal margins ciliate. | var. ctenophora |
2. Calyces reddish with purple spots; bracts 2–4 mm wide, proximal margins glabrous. | var. rubicunda |
1. Corollas 12–20(–22) mm; leaf lobes 6–20 x 3–14 mm; outside of Mount Charleston region, Nevada. | subsp. semibarbata |
1. Corollas 20–25 mm; leaf lobes 3–12 x 1–8 mm; within Mount Charleston region, Nevada. | subsp. charlestonensis |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
