Pedicularis racemosa
Pedicularis parviflora
leafy lousewort, parrot's-beak, sickletop lousewort, white sickletop lousewort
pédiculaire parviflore, small-flower lousewort
basal 0;
cauline 8–25, blade linear or narrowly lanceolate, 10–80 x 3–15 mm, undivided, adjacent margins nonoverlapping, 1- or 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, 1–4, each 3–25-flowered;
bracts lanceolate, 5–40 x 3–10 mm, undivided, proximal margins entire, distal 1- or 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.
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.
1–3.5 mm.
1–2.5 mm.
calyx 4.5–7 mm, glabrous, lobes 2, triangular to deltate, 0.5–1 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 10–15 mm, tube white or light pink, 6–9 mm;
galea white or light pink, 4–6 mm, beaked, beak sickle-shaped, 5–8 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex not extending beyond abaxial lip;
abaxial lip white or light pink, 4–5 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.
= 16.
Pedicularis racemosa
Pedicularis parviflora
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Pedicularis racemosa occurs in the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to New Mexico, in the Cascade Range from British Columbia to California, and in mountainous areas of Arizona.
Herbarium sheets of Pedicularis racemosa are sometimes misidentified as P. contorta or P. groenlandica, but the calyx has two lobes, not five as in the latter species. The uncoiled beak also bends downward from an undomed galea, which the large lateral lobes of the abaxial lip often conceal, whereas the coiled beaks of P. contorta and P. groenlandica are very noticeable.
(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.)
1. Corolla tubes light pink; cauline leaf blades narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, widest at middles. | subsp. racemosa |
1. Corolla tubes white; cauline leaf blades linear to linear-lanceolate, widest near bases or at middles. | subsp. alba |
BC
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
