Pedicularis procera |
Pedicularis lanceolata |
|
---|---|---|
giant lousewort, Gray's lousewort |
swamp lousewort |
|
Habit | Plants 75–150 cm. | Plants 20–100 cm. |
Leaves | basal 2–4, blade lanceolate, 150–250 x 80–120 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous or hirsute; cauline 4–10, blade triangular to lanceolate, 60–300 x 5–90 mm, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous. |
basal 0; cauline 10–30, blade lanceolate, 20–100 x 10–30 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, 2-serrate, surfaces hispid. |
Racemes | simple, sometimes paniculate, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered; bracts linear or narrowly lanceolate to subulate, 15–80 x 3–8 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal entire or serrate, surfaces hispid to tomentose. |
paniculate, 1, each 10–20-flowered; bracts lanceolate to trullate, 5–10 x 3–5 mm, undivided or 1-pinnatifid and 1- or 2-auricled, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous or hispid. |
Pedicels | 0–1 mm. |
1–1.5 mm. |
Flowers | calyx 10–15 mm, hispid to hirsute, lobes 5, triangular, 4–7 mm, apex entire, ciliate; corolla 22–30 mm, tube light yellow, greenish yellow, or light pink, 10–15 mm; galea light yellow, greenish yellow, or light pink, with purple to red veins, 9–15 mm, beakless, margins entire medially, 1-toothed distally, apex arching over abaxial lip; abaxial lip light yellow or light pink, with purple veins, 9–15 mm. |
calyx 7–12 mm, glabrous or hispid, lobes 2, trullate, ovate, elliptic, or triangular, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex serrate, glabrous, sometimes ciliate; corolla 16–22 mm, tube white, cream, or light yellow, 8–12 mm; galea white, cream, or light yellow, 8–12 mm, beaked, beak straight, 0.5–2.5 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex extending over abaxial lip; abaxial lip white, cream, or light yellow, 7–10 mm. |
2n | = 32. |
= 16. |
Pedicularis procera |
Pedicularis lanceolata |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Aug. | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
Habitat | Moist alpine meadows, aspen groves. | Wet meadows, fens, springs, moist prairies, swamps. |
Elevation | 2400–4000 m. (7900–13100 ft.) | 10–1100 m. (0–3600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; NM; SD; UT; WY
|
AR; CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; TN; VA; WI; WV; MB; ON
|
Discussion | Although Pedicularis grayi A. Nelson appears in older floras, the name is superfluous and illegitimate. Pedicularis procera Adams ex Steven 1822 is invalid. Pedicularis procera is the tallest species of Pedicularis in North America. Because the leaves closely resemble those of P. bracteosa, smaller plants can be easily mistaken for this species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The long corolla tubes of Pedicularis lanceolata are uncharacteristically nectarless, and only late season pollen-foraging worker bumblebees pollinate this species (L. W. Macior 1969). The uniquely hinged abaxial lip covering the opening of the galea is an adaptation to allow only worker bumblebees access to the anthers, as they must learn to push it aside during foraging. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 529. | FNA vol. 17, p. 525. |
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis | Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | A. Gray: Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 34: 251. (1862) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 18. (1803) |
Web links |