Pedicularis rainierensis
Pedicularis chamissonis
Mt. Rainier lousewort
Chamisso's lousewort
basal 2–5, blade lanceolate, 40–80 x 3–20 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate to 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 2–6, blade lanceolate, 15–70 x 5–20 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
basal 5–15, blade lanceolate, 15–40 x 10–20 mm, 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline whorled, whorls 1–4, leaves per whorl 3–5, blade lanceolate, 10–60 x 10–30 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous.
simple, 1–4, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered;
bracts lanceolate or subulate to trullate, 10–15 x 1–2 mm, undivided or pinnatifid, proximal margins entire, distal serrate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
verticillate, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 8–20-flowered;
bracts lanceolate to subulate, 10–30 x 5–10 mm, 1-pinnatifid or undivided, margins serrate to 2-serrate, surfaces glabrous.
1–3.5 mm.
1.5–2.5 mm.
calyx 7.5–11 mm, hispid to tomentose, lobes 5, linear to narrowly triangular, 4–5 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;
corolla 16–19 mm, tube light or dark yellow, 8–10 mm;
galea light or dark yellow, 8–9 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching beyond abaxial lip;
abaxial lip light or dark yellow, 4–5 mm.
calyx 6–8 mm, glabrous, lobes 5, triangular, 0.5–1.4 mm, apex entire, ciliate;
corolla 18–20 mm, tube white to pink, 12–15 mm;
galea purple, 6–8 mm, beaked, beak straight, 1–3 mm, margins entire medially and distally, apex extending beyond abaxial lip;
abaxial lip pink or purple, 4–5 mm.
Pedicularis rainierensis
Pedicularis chamissonis
Pedicularis rainierensis is known from Mt. Rainier and the Crystal Mountain area. The species is easily confused with P. bracteosa var. latifolia, which often occurs in the same meadows. While the sizes and shapes of their flowers are nearly indistinguishable, P. rainierensis is a much smaller plant with leaves only about three fourths the size, proximal leaf lobes less than one fifth the size, inflorescences about one half the length, and the number of flowers greatly reduced in comparison to those of P. bracteosa var. latifolia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Pedicularis chamissonis differs from P. verticillata by having leaves and flowers about 1.5 times larger with a galea that is extended into a conical beak, leaves lanceolate versus elliptic, and lateral lobes of the abaxial lip more than twice the size and more pendulous.
Pedicularis chamissonis is chiefly an Asian species, found on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Japan; the only North American populations occur in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
