Pedicularis attollens
Encyclopedia
Pedicularis attollens is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family
known by the common name little elephant's head. It is native to Oregon
and California
, where it grows in moist mountainous areas such as meadows and bog
s. It is a perennial herb growing up to 60 centimeters in maximum height with one or more stems emerging from a caudex
. The leaves are comblike, divided into many linear lobes. The inflorescence
is a raceme
occupying the top of the stem. The sepal
s of the flowers and the bract
s between them are woolly. The flower is under a centimeter long and divided into a curving trunklike upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip. It is pink or purplish in color with darker stripes. The fruit is a capsule up to a centimeter long containing seeds with netlike surfaces.
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...
known by the common name little elephant's head. It is native to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in moist mountainous areas such as meadows and bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s. It is a perennial herb growing up to 60 centimeters in maximum height with one or more stems emerging from a caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. The leaves are comblike, divided into many linear lobes. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
occupying the top of the stem. The sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s of the flowers and the bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s between them are woolly. The flower is under a centimeter long and divided into a curving trunklike upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip. It is pink or purplish in color with darker stripes. The fruit is a capsule up to a centimeter long containing seeds with netlike surfaces.