Pedicularis rainierensis |
Pedicularis lanceolata |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Mt. Rainier lousewort |
swamp lousewort |
|
| Habit | Plants 10–40 cm. | Plants 20–100 cm. |
| Leaves | 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 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, 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. |
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 | 1–3.5 mm. |
1–1.5 mm. |
| Flowers | 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 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 | = 16. |
|
Pedicularis rainierensis |
Pedicularis lanceolata |
|
| Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
| Habitat | Moist alpine grassy meadows, gravelly slopes. | Wet meadows, fens, springs, moist prairies, swamps. |
| Elevation | 1200–2000 m. [3900–6600 ft.] | 10–1100 m. [30–3600 ft.] |
| Distribution |
WA
|
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 | 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.) |
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.) |
| Parent taxa | ||
| Sibling taxa | ||
| Name authority | Pennell & F. A. Warren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 55: 317. (1928) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 18. (1803) |
| Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 531. | FNA vol. 17, p. 525. |
| Web links | ||