Pedicularis groenlandica
Pedicularis pulchella
bull elephant's-head, elephant's head, elephant's head pedicularis, elephant's-head lousewort, elephant-head lousewort, pédiculaire du groenland
mountain lousewort, pretty dwarf lousewort
basal 5–20, blade lanceolate, 20–150 x 5–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid or slightly 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 3–31, blade lanceolate, 10–150 x 1–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
basal 15–20, blade lanceolate to elliptic, 10–20 x 5–10 mm, 2- or 3-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes extensively overlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 4–10, blade elliptic, 10–25 x 3–7 mm, 2- or 3-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes extensively overlapping throughout, serrate, apex cuspidate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
simple, 1 or 2, exceeding basal leaves, each 20–75-flowered;
bracts linear to trullate, 5–10 x 2–10 mm, undivided to pinnatifid, margins entire, serrate, or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.
simple, 1–4, exceeding basal leaves, each 8–50-flowered;
bracts lanceolate or elliptic to trullate, 4–25 x 3–6 mm, 2-pinnatifid, adjacent margins extensively overlapping, proximal margins entire, distal cuspidate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
0.5–1 mm.
4–10 mm.
calyx 3–5 mm, glabrous or hispid, lobes 5, deltate, 0.5–1.5 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 5–8 mm, tube purple, rarely white, 3–5 mm;
galea pink to purple, rarely white, 1.5–3 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 5–18 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex not surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly horizontal;
abaxial lip pendulous, purple, rarely white, 2–5 mm.
calyx 8–12 mm, tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 1.5–3 mm, apex entire or pinnatifid to serrate, glabrous;
corolla 17–27 mm, tube violet-red, 9–10 mm;
galea violet-red, 7–15 mm, beakless, margins entire medially, 1-toothed distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;
abaxial lip violet-red, 6–9 mm.
= 16.
Pedicularis groenlandica
Pedicularis pulchella
Pedicularis groenlandica has a domed galea, a long, curved beak, and relatively large lateral lobes of the abaxial lip that remarkably resemble the head, trunk, and ears of an elephant. Pedicularis groenlandica is the most widely distributed Pedicularis species in North America; it occurs from the southern Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains well into the Arctic and Greenland.
Pedicularis attollens and P. groenlandica are sympatric in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades of central and southern Oregon and can be difficult to distinguish. Pedicularis groenlandica is distinguished by the size and orientation of the beak and color of the corolla; the beak is over twice the length of the beak of P. attollens and is oriented more horizontally compared to the upturned beak of P. attollens. Beak orientation is very difficult to ascertain in herbarium material due to flattening; beak length is a better character on herbarium specimens. The corollas of P. groenlandica are purple with lighter purple to pinkish abaxial lips, whereas the corollas of P. attollens vary from pink to light pink often with conspicuous dark purple spots on the galeas. White-flowered forms of P. groenlandica (forma pallida Lepage) are occasionally seen.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Pedicularis pulchella occurs in the Absaroka and Beartooth ranges of southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming, the Anaconda and Madison ranges of Montana, and one site in the Cascade Range of Washington. The overlapping adjacent lobes of its two-, or sometimes three-, pinnatifid leaves are a characteristic feature of P. pulchella.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
