Pedicularis procera
Pedicularis parviflora
giant lousewort, Gray's lousewort
pédiculaire parviflore, small-flower lousewort
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 0–2, blade elliptic, 3–7 x 2–5 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, dentate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 0–12, blade lanceolate or elliptic to deltate, 5–50 x 3–20 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
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.
simple or paniculate, 1–4, exceeding basal leaves, each 3–12-flowered;
bracts deltate to trullate, 5–30 x 3–15 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins serrate, surfaces glabrous or slightly arachnoid.
0–1 mm.
1–2.5 mm.
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 5.5–8 mm, glabrous, lobes 2(–4), deltate, 2–3.5 mm, apex pinnatifid, sometimes 2-fid into triangular lobes, entire, glabrous;
corolla 8–16 mm, tube light pink to purple, 5–11 mm;
galea purple, 3–6 mm, beakless, margins 1-toothed medially, entire distally, apex arching slightly over abaxial lip;
abaxial lip pink to purple, sometimes purple-spotted, 2–5 mm.
= 32.
Pedicularis procera
Pedicularis parviflora
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.)
Pedicularis parviflora belongs to a complex of taxa [including P. parviflora var. macrodontis (Richardson) S. L. Welsh, and P. pennellii] that have traditionally been treated as species, subspecies, or varieties. Two features unite this group: a highly branched paniculate raceme and a tooth on each medial margin of the galea covered with pyriform glands on the inner surface. Lack of apical teeth sets P. parviflora apart from P. palustris and P. pennellii, which have both sets of teeth.
The distinction of Pedicularis macrodontis is not clear. With a galea that lacks apical teeth, it is clearly associated with P. parviflora, but there are no unique characters to set it apart as a distinct species; all foliar and floral features are very similar. A number of intermediate specimens were seen, suggesting a lack of reproductive barriers; treatment as a variety of P. parviflora, following S. L. Welsh (1974), may be warranted, but further research is required before recognizing it as a taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
PNW Herbaria
