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Howell lousewort, Howell's lousewort, Howell's pedicularis

pédiculaire flammée, red-tip lousewort, redrattle

Habit Plants 15–40 cm. Plants 1.5–20 cm.
Leaves

basal 1–4, blade elliptic to lanceolate, 20–60 x 15–40 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 10–12, blade ovate to lanceolate, 25–60 x 15–40 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid, sometimes auricled, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, entire or serrate to crenate, surfaces glabrous or scattered woolly along main vein.

basal 2–5, blade lanceolate, 5–25 x 2–6 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 3–6, blade lanceolate, 5–30 x 3–10 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

Racemes

simple, 1–8, exceeding basal leaves, each 15–40-flowered;

bracts trullate to cordate, 6–8 x 4–8 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal entire, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.

simple, 1 or 2, exceeding basal leaves, each 5–10-flowered;

bracts lanceolate, 10–15 x 1–2 mm, pinnatifid, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.

Pedicels

2.5–3 mm.

3–10 mm.

Flowers

calyx 6–6.5 mm, tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 1.5–2 mm, apex entire, ciliate;

corolla 10–13 mm, tube white, 6–8 mm;

galea white, apically sometimes tinged with red to violet, 3.5–5 mm, beaked, beak straight, 1–2 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex extending beyond abaxial lip;

abaxial lip white, 1.5–2 mm.

calyx 4.5–7 mm, glabrous, lobes 5, triangular, 1.5–2.5 mm, apex entire, glabrous;

corolla 12–15 mm, tube yellow, 8–10 mm;

galea bicolored, yellow proximally, dark red to purple distally, 4–5 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching slightly over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip yellow, 1.5–3 mm.

2n

= 16.

Pedicularis howellii

Pedicularis flammea

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jul.
Habitat Alpine forest clearings and edges. Wet meadows, along streams, tundras, flood plains.
Elevation 1100–2000. 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AB; MB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; Greenland; Europe (Norway, Sweden); Asia; Atlantic Islands (Iceland)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pedicularis howellii is found in the Siskiyou Mountains along the California/Oregon border; it has undivided distal leaves. The division of the proximal leaves into irregular and asymmetric lobes, sometimes appearing auricled, is a unique feature of this species.

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

Pedicularis flammea is often confused with P. oederi, which also has red- or purple-tipped galeas. Compared to other Pedicularis species, including P. oederi, flowers of P. flammea are much smaller.

Pedicularis flammea is a boreal-arctic species found only in northern parts of many Canadian provinces.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 523. FNA vol. 17, p. 522.
Parent taxa 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. densiflora, P. dudleyi, P. flammea, P. furbishiae, P. groenlandica, P. hirsuta, 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. 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
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 307. (1885) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 609. (1753)
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