''Pedicularis'' is a genus of
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
green
root parasite plants currently placed in the family
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., '' Pedicularis'', '' Rhinanthus'', '' Striga'') were formerly included in ...
(the genus previously having been placed in
Scrophulariaceae
The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral ( zygomorphic) or rarely radial ( actinomorphic) symmetry. The S ...
''
sensu lato
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accepted by different authorities, mostly from the wetter northern temperate zones, as well as from South America. The highest diversity is in eastern Asia, with 352 species accepted in
China alone.
Taxonomy
The common name lousewort, applied to several species, derives from an old belief that these plants, when ingested, were responsible for
lice
Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a resul ...
infestations in livestock. The genus name ''Pedicularis'' is from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
''pediculus'' meaning louse.
Selected species
*''
Pedicularis acaulis''
*''
Pedicularis amoena''
*''
Pedicularis arguteserrata''
*''
Pedicularis ascendens
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accep ...
''
*''
Pedicularis asparagoides''
*''
Pedicularis asplenifolia''
*''
Pedicularis attollens'' (little elephant's head)
*''
Pedicularis baumgartenii
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accep ...
''
*''
Pedicularis bhutanomuscoides
''Pedicularis bhutanomuscoides'' is a species of flowering plant endemic to Bhutan. It occurs on open slopes with ''Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of ab ...
''
*''
Pedicularis brachyodonta
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accep ...
''
*''
Pedicularis bracteosa
''Pedicularis bracteosa'' also known as bracted lousewort is a flowering deciduous perennial plant with alternating cauline leaves that are linear/oblong to lanceolate, approximately 1 to 7 cm long. It has fibrous roots and grows to approximately ...
'' (fern-leaf, towering, or bracted lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis cacuminidenta
''Pedicularis cacuminidenta'' is a species of flowering plant endemic to Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the ...
''
*''
Pedicularis canadensis
''Pedicularis canadensis'', commonly called Canadian lousewort or wood betony,[Pedicularis centranthera
''Pedicularis centranthera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common names dwarf lousewort and Great Basin lousewort. It is native to the western United States from eastern Oregon and California to Colorado ...]
''
*''
Pedicularis comosa
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accep ...
''
*''
Pedicularis compacta
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are accep ...
''
*''
Pedicularis contorta
''Pedicularis contorta'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common names coiled lousewort and curved-beak lousewort. It is native to western North America, including southwestern Canada and the northwestern U ...
'' (coiled lousewort or white-coiled beak lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis dasyantha'' (woolly lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis dasystachys
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis densiflora
''Pedicularis densiflora'', known commonly as Indian warrior or warrior's plume, is a plant in the family Orobanchaceae.
Indian warrior is native to California and Oregon in western North America and is found in chaparral, forests, California o ...
'' (Indian warrior)
*''
Pedicularis dhurensis
''Pedicularis dhurensis'' is a species of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('con ...
''
*''
Pedicularis dudleyi'' (Dudley's lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis elegans
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis elephantiflora
''Pedicularis elephantiflora'' is a species of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ...
''
*''
Pedicularis elongata
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis exaltata
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis ferdinandi
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis flammea
''Pedicularis flammea'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many ...
'' (redrattle)
*''
Pedicularis foliosa
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
'' (leafy lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis furbishiae
''Pedicularis furbishiae'', or Furbish's lousewort, is a perennial herb found only on the shores of the upper Saint John River in Maine and New Brunswick. Furbish's lousewort was first recognized as a new species by Maine naturalist and botanica ...
'' (Furbish's lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis friderici-augusti
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis graeca
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis groenlandica
''Pedicularis groenlandica'' is a showy flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae which is known by the common names elephant's head, elephant-head lousewort and butterfly tongue.
This erect plant can grow to a height of . Its sharply-toothed ...
'' (elephant's head)
*''
Pedicularis gyroflexa
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis hacquetii
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis heterodonta
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis hirsuta
''Pedicularis hirsuta'', commonly known as Hairy Lousewort, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 gene ...
'' (hairy lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis howellii
''Pedicularis howellii'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common name Howell's lousewort. It is endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains of the Klamath Range in southern Oregon and northern California, w ...
'' (Howell's lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis julica
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis kaufmannii''
*''
Pedicularis kerneri
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis labradorica
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis lanata
''Pedicularis lanata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to Canada and Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) ...
''
*''
Pedicularis lanceolata''
*''
Pedicularis langsdorfii
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis lapponica
''Pedicularis lapponica'', the Lapland lousewort, is a perennial hemiparasitic species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae with yellow to creme coloured flowers.
Description
The plant has an unbranched (or very rarely branched) stem ...
'' (Lapland lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis leucodon
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis limnogena
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis mixta
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis oederi
''Pedicularis oederi'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Orobanchaceae.
Its native range is Subarctic
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid con ...
'' (crimson-tipped lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis ornithorhyncha
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
'' (duck's-bill/bird's-beak lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis orthantha
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis oxycarpa
''Pedicularis oxycarpa'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to Yunnan and Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also re ...
''
*''
Pedicularis palustris
''Pedicularis palustris'', commonly known as marsh lousewort or red rattle, is a plant species in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to central and northern Europe and Asia where it grows in wetlands and boggy habitats. The International Unio ...
'' (marsh lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis parryi
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
'' (Parry's lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis pectinata
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis petiolaris
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis physocalyx
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis portenschlagii
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis procera
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
'' (giant lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis pyrenaica
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis racemosa'' (sickle-top lousewort, parrot's beak)
*''
Pedicularis rainierensis
''Pedicularis rainierensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae commonly known as Mount Rainier lousewort. It is endemic to the vicinity of Mount Rainier in Washington state.
The Mount Rainier lousewort has a imperiled ...
'' (
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a ...
lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis recutita
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis resupinata
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis rex''
*''
Pedicularis rosea
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis rostratocapitata
''Pedicularis rostratocapitata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae commonly known as long-nosed lousewort. It is endemic to the Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highe ...
''
*''
Pedicularis rostratospicata
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum
''Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum'', commonly known as moor-king or moor-king lousewort, is a plant species in the genus '' Pedicularis''.
References
----
sceptrum-carolinum
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Plants described in 1753
{{ ...
'' (Moor-king lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis schizocalyx
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis semibarbata
''Pedicularis semibarbata'', known by the common name pinewoods lousewort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae.
It is native to California and Nevada. It can often be found in coniferous forests of the Peninsular Ranges, ...
'' (pinewoods lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis sibthorpii
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of perennial green root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae '' sensu lato'').
Description
Between 350 and 600 species are acc ...
''
*''
Pedicularis sudetica
''Pedicularis sudetica'', common names of which are fernweed, Sudeten lousewort, Sedetic lousewort, and Sudetic lousewort is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae which is native to Poland, the former Czechoslovakia, and northe ...
'' (fernweed, Sudeten lousewort or Sedetic lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis sylvatica
''Pedicularis sylvatica'', commonly known as common lousewort, is a plant species in the genus ''Pedicularis''. It is native to central and northern Europe where it grows on moist acidic soils, moorland, grassy heathland and the drier parts of ma ...
'' (common lousewort)
*''
Pedicularis tuberosa
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial green Parasitic plant, root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Betw ...
''
*''
Pedicularis uralensis
''Pedicularis'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial green Parasitic plant, root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato'').
Description
Betw ...
''
*''
Pedicularis verticillata
''Pedicularis verticillata'', the whorled lousewort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae which can be found in Alaska, North-Western Canada, and everywhere in China at the elevation of . Its native habitats include moist ...
'' (verticillate lousewort)
Pollination
''
Bombus polaris
''Bombus polaris'' is a common Arctic bumblebee species. ''B. polaris'' is one of two bumblebees that live above the Arctic Circle. The other is its social parasite '' Bombus hyperboreus''. ''B. polaris'' is a social bee that can survive at near ...
'' has an essential role in the pollination of the large
zygomorphic
Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts.
Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spiral ...
flowers of ''Pedicularis''.
''B. polaris'' has a special adaption that allows it to work the spikes of ''Pedicularis'' from the bottom towards the top.
References
Flora Europaea: ''Pedicularis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q129016
Orobanchaceae genera
Parasitic plants
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus