Sickletop Lousewort
Sickletop lousewort (Pedicularis racemosa) is a perennial herb in the Orobanchaceae (broomrape) family.
- Several stems (20 – 50 cm tall) grow from coarse fibrous roots and a thick basal area.
- Stems are smooth and unbranched (greenish or reddish color).
- Leaves are alternate and lanceolate with less leaves near the base.
- Leaves have toothed edges and are green or reddish in color.
- The inflorescence will have loose clusters of bracted flowers.
- Lower flowers emerge from leaf bases. Flowers are pinkish or creamy colored.
- The upper lip is curved downward like a beak.
- All photos by the author. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
- Smooth capsules form after flowering and the seeds are dispersed in late summer.
- The flower can be spotted in middle to subalpine zones, in forest openings and meadows.
- Lousewort is hemi-parasitic, that is, it is a green root parasite.
- It is mostly pollinated by bumblebees.
- Lousewort was formerly in the figwort family.
- A similar species is leafy lousewort (shown in the gallery).
- A related species is Bracted lousewort.
We look forward to spotting sickletop lousewort when we hike through the forests to subalpine zones in the summer.