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Pedicularis rainierensis

Mt. Rainier lousewort

Pennell's lousewort

Habit Plants 10–40 cm. Plants 4–30 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 0–2, blade elliptic, 1–10 x 1–5 mm, 1-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, dentate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline 0–5, blade lanceolate or elliptic to deltate, 7–30 x 1–25 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid, margins of adjacent lobes nonoverlapping or slightly overlapping distally, 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.

simple or paniculate, 1–3, exceeding basal leaves, each 8–20-flowered;

bracts deltate, 5–20 x 10–15 mm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid nearly to midrib, lobes sometimes laciniate, margins serrate, surfaces glabrous.

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 3.5–8.5 mm, glabrous, lobes 2(–4), triangular, 2–6 mm, apex dentate to 2-dentate, glabrous;

corolla 8–16 mm, tube light pink to purple, 5–9 mm;

galea bicolored, yellow with purple spots proximally, purple distally, 3–6.5 mm, beakless, margins 1-toothed medially and distally, apex straight to arching slightly over abaxial lip;

abaxial lip yellow to pink with purple spots, 3–8 mm.

2n

= 16 (Asia).

Pedicularis rainierensis

Pedicularis pennellii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Moist alpine grassy meadows, gravelly slopes. Moist tundras, stream banks, wet terraces, willow thickets, wet meadows, fens, bogs.
Elevation 1200–2000 m. (3900–6600 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; Asia
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.)

Pedicularis palustris and P. pennellii are extensively branched, with branching in P. pennellii more compact and subequal, making it appear shrubby. The branches of P. palustris, in contrast, become progressively shorter distally on the stem, giving the plant a pyramidal appearance.

Calder and Taylor recognized subsp. insularis by its smaller or sometimes absent apical teeth on the galea margins. Boivin subsequently reduced it to a variety. Given this minor difference, this taxon (found only on Haida Gwaii [the Queen Charlotte Islands] of British Columbia) is not recognized here.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 531. FNA vol. 17, p. 529.
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. procera, P. pulchella, P. racemosa, P. rainierensis, P. semibarbata, P. sudetica, P. sylvatica, P. verticillata
Synonyms P. parviflora subsp. pennellii, P. pennellii subsp. insularis, P. pennellii var. insularis
Name authority Pennell & F. A. Warren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 55: 317. (1928) Hultén: Fl. Aleut. Isl., 300, plate 14. (1937)
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