Pedicularis attollens
Pedicularis contorta
attol lousewort, attoll lousewort, elephant snouts, little elephant head, little elephant's head, woolly Mammoth
coil-beak lousewort, coiled lousewort, coiled pedicularis, curve-beak lousewort, curved-beak lousewort, white coiled-beak lousewort
basal 5–25, blade elliptic, 60–150(or 200–250) x 3–23 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous or scattered glands;
cauline 2–20, blade elliptic, 5–50(–100) x 1–5 mm, undivided or 1(or 2)-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, serrate, surfaces glabrous.
basal 3–10, blade lanceolate, 30–100 x 5–30 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous;
cauline 2–10, blade elliptic or triangular to lanceolate, 5–70 x 10–25 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping, entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous.
simple, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 10–50-flowered;
bracts lanceolate to triangular, 5–10 x 3–10 mm, pinnatifid, margins entire, surfaces glabrous or tomentose.
simple, 1–6, exceeding basal leaves, each 12–40-flowered;
bracts trullate to obtrullate, 5–18 x 2–15 mm, pinnatifid, margins entire, surfaces glabrous.
1.2–1.6 mm.
1.5–5.5 mm.
calyx 4–5 mm, glabrous or tomentose, lobes 5, triangular, 2–2.5 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 6–8 mm, tube pink, rarely white, 3–6 mm;
galea white or pink with 2 purple spots or stripes, 1–2 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 3–6 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex not surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly vertical;
abaxial lip pendulous, white or pink with purple stripe, 4–5.5 mm.
calyx 5–9 mm, glabrous, lobes 5, triangular, 1–3 mm, apex entire, glabrous;
corolla 7–13 mm, tube white or cream to yellowish or pink to pinkish purple, 4–7 mm;
galea white or cream to yellowish with purple spots at base, or pink to pinkish purple, 2–5.5 mm, beaked, beak coiled, 5–9 mm, base curving, margins entire medially and distally, apex surrounded by abaxial lip, axis of coil nearly vertical;
abaxial lip surrounding beak, white or cream to yellowish, or pink to pinkish purple, 5–8 mm.
= 16.
Pedicularis attollens
Pedicularis contorta
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
The flowers of Pedicularis attollens, like those of P. groenlandica, resemble an elephant’s head, and A. Heller placed them both in Elephantella. The short, upturned beak, in contrast to the long, more horizontal downturned beak of P. groenlandica, is a distinguishing feature of P. attollens. Whereas P. groenlandica occurs across much of western and arctic North America, P. attollens is found primarily in the Cascade Range of central and southern Oregon and the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. It is also reported from the Klamath Range to the west and the White and Sweetwater mountains and the Warner Range to the east of the Sierra Nevada.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
The coiled beak that extends directly downward from the top of the galea is distinctive in Pedicularis contorta. Seen from the side, the large, upward-expanded, lateral lobes of the abaxial lip surround the beak, concealing it from view. The flowers of P. contorta are very similar to those of P. racemosa; however, the leaves of P. racemosa are undivided, the beak curves down and to one side, and the inflorescence often branches, forming a panicle of short racemes with long internodes between flowers.
Flower and calyx color and width of the subtending floral bracts delimit three varieties in Pedicularis contorta; corolla color is difficult to discern in herbarium specimens. The following key is adapted from R. N. Reese (1984).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal leaves 1-pinnatifid. | subsp. attollens |
1. Basal leaves 2-pinnatifid. | subsp. protogyna |
1. Corolla tubes, galeas, and abaxial lips white or cream to yellowish, galeas with purple spots at base; calyces pale green. | var. contorta |
1. Corolla tubes, galeas, and abaxial lips pink to pinkish purple; calyces green or reddish with purple spots. | → 2 |
2. Calyces green; bracts 5–8 mm wide, proximal margins ciliate. | var. ctenophora |
2. Calyces reddish with purple spots; bracts 2–4 mm wide, proximal margins glabrous. | var. rubicunda |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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