Pedicularis howellii
Encyclopedia
Pedicularis howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the broomrape family
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
, where it grows on the edges of coniferous forests. This is a perennial herb producing one or more stems up to 45 centimeters tall from a long caudex
. The leaves are up to 20 centimeters long, lance-shaped, and divided into many toothed oval lobes; those higher on the stem may be unlobed. The basal leaves fall away early. The inflorescence
is a small raceme
of flowers occupying the top of the stem. Each white to light purple flower is up to a centimeter long and is sickle-shaped
, with a curved beak-like upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip which may be tucked into the hairy mass of sepal
s. The plant is pollinated
by bumblebees including Bombus mixtus. Between the flowers are hairy to woolly triangular bract
s. The fruit is a capsule just under a centimeter long containing seeds with netted surfaces.
The plant probably relies on an adequate amount of snow in the area to keep enough moisture in the soil for germination
the following season.
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 Howell's lousewort. It is endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains
Siskiyou Mountains
The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal mountain range in the northern Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California northeast along the north side of the Klamath River into...
of the Klamath Range
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
in southern 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 northern 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 on the edges of coniferous forests. This is a perennial herb producing one or more stems up to 45 centimeters tall from a long 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 up to 20 centimeters long, lance-shaped, and divided into many toothed oval lobes; those higher on the stem may be unlobed. The basal leaves fall away early. 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 small 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...
of flowers occupying the top of the stem. Each white to light purple flower is up to a centimeter long and is sickle-shaped
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
, with a curved beak-like upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip which may be tucked into the hairy mass of 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. The plant is pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by bumblebees including Bombus mixtus. Between the flowers are hairy to woolly triangular 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. The fruit is a capsule just under a centimeter long containing seeds with netted surfaces.
The plant probably relies on an adequate amount of snow in the area to keep enough moisture in the soil for germination
Germination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
the following season.