Pedicularis centranthera
Great basin lousewort, Great Basin Lousewort
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Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Pedicularis centranthera (Great basin lousewort) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by sagebrush habitat unique.
Great basin lousewort is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in southeastern Modoc Plateau in eastern Lassen County on sagebrush scrub and alluvial fans at elevations of 1,300 to 1,500 meters. Flowering in May, this plant produces pale purple flowers with darker tips, approximately 30 to 42 millimeters long, featuring a hooded upper lip and widely rounded lower lip with wavy margins. Growing with compact stems 4 to 10 centimeters tall and a long caudex, it develops basal leaves up to 20 centimeters long with distinctive segmented foliage. Its leaves have 13 to 25 oblong segments with wavy, white-thickened margins that are crenate, dentate, or lobed. The fruit is 10 to 13 millimeters long with seeds featuring a shallowly netted surface.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; sagebrush habitat unique
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, alluvial fans
Elevation: 1300-1500 m
California counties: Lassen
Outside California: to Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Pedicularis centranthera blooms May.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.3
How to tell it apart
vs Castilleja: Leaves deeply dissected and fern-like with 7+ lobes, not simple or few-lobed.; vs Phacelia: Flowers have closed hood concealing stamens, not open bell/funnel shape.; vs Anigozanthos: Upper lip forms distinctive elephant-head hood, leaves deeply divided fern-like.; vs Melaleuca: Herbaceous perennial with hooded flowers, not woody shrub with brush-like blooms.; vs Achillea: Flowers individually hooded and two-lipped, not tiny in flat-topped clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pedicularis centranthera native to California?
Yes. Pedicularis centranthera is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Pedicularis centranthera bloom?
Pedicularis centranthera blooms May.
Where in California does Pedicularis centranthera grow?
Pedicularis centranthera occurs in Lassen, at elevations of 1300-1500 m.
What plant family does Pedicularis centranthera belong to?
Pedicularis centranthera is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Pedicularis.
Is Pedicularis centranthera rare or endangered?
Pedicularis centranthera carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S2.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.