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

Parry's lousewort

meadow lousewort, scalloped-leaf lousewort

Habit Plants 7–65 cm. Plants 10–40 cm.
Leaves

basal 4–20, blade elliptic or lanceolate to oblanceolate, 10–70 x 3–15 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 0–20, blade lanceolate, 10–50 x 2–10 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.

basal 8–10, blade narrowly elliptic to linear, 15–40 x 3–6 mm, undivided, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 2-crenate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 10–40, blade linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 10–60 x 2–6 mm, undivided, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 2-crenate, surfaces glabrous.

Racemes

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

bracts subulate to trullate, 10–25 x 8–10 mm, undivided or +/- lobed, proximal margins entire, distal serrate or crenate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.

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

bracts triangular or lanceolate to oblanceolate, 10–15 x 3–4 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal crenate to 2-crenate, surfaces glabrous.

Pedicels

2–3 mm.

3–3.5 mm.

Flowers

calyx 6–10 mm, glabrous or tomentose, lobes 5, triangular to deltate, 1–3 mm, apex entire, glabrous;

corolla 14–22 mm, tube white, yellowish, or light purple to purple, 7–15 mm;

galea white, yellowish, or light purple to purple, 7–10 mm, beaked, beak straight, 5–8 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex extending beyond abaxial lip;

abaxial lip white, yellowish, or light purple to purple, 4–9 mm.

calyx 8.5–11 mm, hirsute along veins or glabrous, lobes 2, triangular, 0.5–1 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;

corolla 20–26 mm, tube light pink, rarely white, 12–15 mm;

galea reddish violet, sometimes white, 8–11 mm, beakless, margins entire medially, 1-toothed distally, apex arching over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip reddish violet, sometimes white, 4–8 mm.

2n

= 16.

Pedicularis parryi

Pedicularis crenulata

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Moist grassy, sagebrush basins, alpine meadows.
Elevation 1500–3200 m. (4900–10500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; MT; NE; NM; NV; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Pedicularis parryi is characterized by a domed galea with a conical beak and light green calyces and floral bracts with dark purple stripes. The beaked galea extends well beyond the expanded lobes of the abaxial lip.

Pedicularis parryi is an alpine complex. Corolla color, number of cauline leaves, and bract margin variation are important features differentiating infraspecific taxa within P. parryi (G. D. Carr 1971, from which the following key is adapted).

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

Pedicularis crenulata is abundant in moist swales of alpine to subalpine sagebrush meadows of the mid to southern Rocky Mountains, as well as California and Nevada, where large populations with their reddish violet flowers create a distinctive swath across the otherwise green landscape. The undivided, nearly linear leaves with two-crenate margins are unique among North American species of Pedicularis. The galea bears a single apical tooth on each abaxial margin at the distal tip. Other species with the combination of two calyx lobes and undivided, linear to nearly linear leaves are P. angustifolia and P. racemosa.

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

Key
1. Corolla tubes +/- purple; calyces tomentose.
subsp. purpurea
1. Corolla tubes white or yellowish; calyces glabrous.
→ 2
2. Cauline leaves (0 or)1–6; bract margins entire or +/- crenate.
subsp. parryi
2. Cauline leaves 5–20; bract margins +/- serrate.
subsp. mogollonica
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 528. FNA vol. 17, p. 520.
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. howellii, P. labradorica, P. lanata, P. lanceolata, P. langsdorffii, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, 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. 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. racemosa, P. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
Subordinate taxa
P. parryi subsp. mogollonica, P. parryi subsp. parryi, P. parryi subsp. purpurea
Name authority A. Gray: Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 34: 250. (1862) Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 568. (1846)
Web links