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Pedicularis rainierensis

Mt. Rainier lousewort

whorled lousewort

Habit Plants 10–40 cm. Plants 5–25 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 5–25, blade elliptic, 10–20 x 3–8 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, serrate, surfaces glabrous or tomentose;

cauline whorled, whorls 1 or 2, leaves per whorl 3–5, blade lanceolate, 5–30 x 3–10 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous.

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.

verticillate, 1–10, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–40-flowered;

bracts lanceolate to trullate, 4–20 x 2–5 mm, undivided or 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins serrate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely tomentose.

Pedicels

1–3.5 mm.

0.7–2.5 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 3.5–10 mm, glabrous or pilose, lobes 5, deltate, 0.3–1 mm, apex entire, glabrous or ciliate;

corolla 10–18 mm, tube light or dark pink, 5–8 mm;

galea light or dark pink or purple, 5–7 mm, beakless, margins entire medially and distally, apex arching slightly over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip light pink with purple veins and/or purple spots or purple with dark veins, 5–7 mm.

2n

= 12.

Pedicularis rainierensis

Pedicularis verticillata

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Moist alpine grassy meadows, gravelly slopes. Arctic meadows and thickets, muskegs, arctic and alpine tundras.
Elevation 1200–2000 m. [3900–6600 ft.] 0–1800 m. [0–5900 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; YT; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

In the flora area, Pedicularis verticillata and P. chamissonis are the only species of Pedicularis with whorled leaves.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis Orobanchaceae > Pedicularis
Sibling taxa
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. bracteosa, P. canadensis, P. capitata, P. centranthera, P. chamissonis, P. contorta, P. crenulata, P. cystopteridifolia, P. densiflora, P. dudleyi, P. flammea, P. furbishiae, P. groenlandica, P. hirsuta, P. howellii, P. labradorica, P. lanata, P. lanceolata, P. langsdorffii, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, P. parryi, P. parviflora, P. pennellii, P. procera, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
P. angustifolia, P. attollens, P. aurantiaca, P. bracteosa, P. canadensis, P. capitata, P. centranthera, P. chamissonis, P. contorta, P. crenulata, P. cystopteridifolia, P. densiflora, P. dudleyi, P. flammea, P. furbishiae, P. groenlandica, P. hirsuta, P. howellii, P. labradorica, P. lanata, P. lanceolata, P. langsdorffii, P. lapponica, P. oederi, P. ornithorhyncha, P. ornithorhynchos, P. palustris, P. parryi, P. parviflora, P. pennellii, P. procera, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica
Synonyms Pediculariopsis verticillata
Name authority Pennell & F. A. Warren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 55: 317. (1928) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 608. (1753)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 531. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart. FNA vol. 17, p. 534. Treatment author: Bruce W. Robart.
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