Lousewort,
Wood Bettony
Pedicularis
canadensis
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Lousewort
- what a lousy name for such a fascinating plant! This mid-spring wildflower
has some very unusual features, as well as a sense of whimsy about it. It
is fairly common, growing along roadsides and trail margins at low to mid-elevations,
where it is likely to get a fair amount of sun. The leaves may appear very
early on, and they're fairly easy to identify - long and narrow with deeply-cleft
teeth, emerging in a tightly-packed whorl from a sunny patch of ground.
The early leaves are usually a deep purple color, and they are covered
in long downy hairs. By early to mid-May, the leaves have turned to green
and are about 6" long, growing mostly in a basal rosette but a few small
leaves may appear alternately along the flower stalk. The flowers appear
in a round "head" at the end of a single stalk, about 6" high or a little
taller than the leaves. The flower head formation is unusual and attention-getting
because the individual flowers bloom in a spiral-shaped formation around
the outside of the flower head, in a geometric pattern somewhat like a pine
cone. The individual flowers average about 1/2" long , appear hooded at
the top, and contain a variety of colors ranging from pale yellow through
reddish-purple to reddish-brown. Lousewort is a member of the Scrophulariaceae
family - a very large family that includes Mullein, Turtlehead, Beardtongues,
and many others, but its hooded or capped appearance might fool you into
thinking it's a mint or scullcap. Louseworts will fade away by mid-June,
though you might continue to see a dried-up leaf or two through the summer.
fdudley@weaversites.com
Fiona Dudley
Weaversites
986 Reems Creek Road
Weaverville NC 28787
828-231-1501
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