The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Pedicularis densiflora

Indian warrior, warrior's plume

Dudley's lousewort

leafy lousewort, parrot's-beak, sickletop lousewort, white sickletop lousewort

Habit Plants 10–50 cm. Plants 10–30 cm. Plants 0.5–15 cm.
Leaves

basal 1–10, blade lanceolate, 30–200 x 20–70 mm, 2(or 3)-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or extensively overlapping distally, 1-serrate, surfaces glabrous, hispid, or downy;

cauline 4–20, blade lanceolate, 15–250 x 5–100 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or extensively overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous, hispid, or downy.

basal 2–12, blade elliptic to lanceolate, 30–260 x 40–60 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 1–5, blade elliptic to lanceolate, 70–120 x 10–40 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous.

basal 0;

cauline 8–25, blade linear or narrowly lanceolate, 10–80 x 3–15 mm, undivided, adjacent margins nonoverlapping, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

Racemes

simple, 1–5, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered;

bracts lanceolate to trullate, 10–35 x 3–5 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

simple, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 6–20-flowered;

bracts lanceolate, 5–15 x 3–5 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal serrate, surfaces glabrous.

simple, 1–4, each 3–25-flowered;

bracts lanceolate, 5–40 x 3–10 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

Pedicels

2–4 mm.

2–3 mm.

1–3.5 mm.

Flowers

calyx 9–18 mm, downy to tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 3–4 mm, apex entire, ciliate;

corolla 23–43 mm, tube dark red, purple, or orange-yellow, rarely white, 8–18 mm;

galea dark red, purple, or orange-yellow, rarely white, 15–25 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex straight;

abaxial lip dark red, purple, or orange-yellow, rarely white, 8–15 mm.

calyx 10–14 mm, tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 5–7 mm, apex entire, glabrous;

corolla 18–22 mm, tube pinkish, rarely white, 8–13 mm;

galea pink to lavender, rarely white, 10–11 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip lavender, 4–7 mm.

calyx 4.5–7 mm, glabrous, lobes 2, triangular to deltate, 0.5–1 mm, apex entire, glabrous;

corolla 10–15 mm, tube white or light pink, 6–9 mm;

galea white or light pink, 4–6 mm, beaked, beak sickle-shaped, 5–8 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex not extending beyond abaxial lip;

abaxial lip white or light pink, 4–5 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

= 16.

Pedicularis densiflora

Pedicularis dudleyi

Pedicularis racemosa

Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Mixed coniferous forests. Coastal chaparral or forests, riparian sites in coastal redwood forests.
Elevation 30–3100 m. (100–10200 ft.) 10–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Scarlet corollas with an undomed, toothless galea and two- or three-pinnatifid leaves are diagnostic of Pedicularis densiflora. This species occurs in forested subalpine regions of southern Oregon, western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, and the Coast Ranges of California south to Baja California. Herbarium records indicate northern populations of P. densiflora occur at higher elevations than do more southern populations.

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

Shapes of flowers and leaves of Pedicularis dudleyi are similar to those of P. semibarbata; P. dudleyi has larger vegetative features. Floral features that set P. dudleyi apart include a 10–14 mm calyx and pink to purple corolla versus a 7–9 mm calyx and pale yellow corolla in P. semibarbata.

Pedicularis dudleyi occurs in the coastal mountains of central California in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Pedicularis racemosa occurs in the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to New Mexico, in the Cascade Range from British Columbia to California, and in mountainous areas of Arizona.

Herbarium sheets of Pedicularis racemosa are sometimes misidentified as P. contorta or P. groenlandica, but the calyx has two lobes, not five as in the latter species. The uncoiled beak also bends downward from an undomed galea, which the large lateral lobes of the abaxial lip often conceal, whereas the coiled beaks of P. contorta and P. groenlandica are very noticeable.

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

Key
1. Corolla tubes light pink; cauline leaf blades narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, widest at middles.
P. racemosa subsp. racemosa
1. Corolla tubes white; cauline leaf blades linear to linear-lanceolate, widest near bases or at middles.
P. racemosa subsp. alba
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 521. FNA vol. 17, p. 521. FNA vol. 17, p. 530.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis
Sibling taxa
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. bracteosa, P. canadensis, P. capitata, P. centranthera, P. chamissonis, P. contorta, P. crenulata, P. cystopteridifolia, 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. 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. 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. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
Subordinate taxa
P. racemosa subsp. alba, P. racemosa subsp. racemosa
Name authority Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 110. (1838) Elmer: Bot. Gaz. 41: 316. (1906) Douglas ex Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 108. (1838)
Web links 
see all taxa on an iNaturalist map