E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Pedicularis verticillata L.
whorled lousewort
Orobanchaceae (Broom-rape family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Virginia Skilton  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #66230)

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Distribution of Pedicularis verticillata
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a taprooted, branching stem-base; stems 1 to several, clustered, erect to ascending, 10-40 cm tall, unbranched, nearly smooth to thinly long-hairy, but long-hairy to woolly in the inflorescence.
Leaves:
Mostly basal, long-stalked, lanceolate, 4-7 cm long, deeply pinnately lobed, the lobes toothed or cleft, the stalks sparsely hairy; stem leaves in usually 1 or 2 whorls below the inflorescence, similar to the basal leaves but short-stalked to unstalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a terminal spike of usually many flowers in several whorls, the spike compact at first then elongating, bracts similar to the leaves but much reduced upward and mostly shorter than the flowers; corollas rose-pink to purplish, 11-18 mm long, 2-lipped, the upper lip slightly arched, hood-like, 5-8 mm long, beakless and lacking a pair of teeth near the tip, the lower lip 3-lobed, slightly longer than the upper lip; calyces 3-7 mm long, hairy, 5-toothed, the teeth triangular, 0.5-1 mm long, entire, purple-veined, fringed with long hairs; stamens 4, the filaments sparsely long-hairy.
Fruits:
Capsules, lance-egg-shaped, pointy-tipped, 10-15 mm long; seeds several.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist meadows, rocky slopes, heath and turfy tundra in the montane to alpine zones; rare in N BC and the Queen Charlotte Islands; N to AK, YT and NT.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Pedicularis verticillata

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 6 964 1690
Slope Gradient (%) 0 5 11
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
17 242 275
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 4 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
5
Modal BEC Zone Class
SWB
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BAFA(1), SWB(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Pediculariopsis verticillata (L.) A. Löve & D. Löve

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References