Pedicularis crenulata
Scalloped-leaved lousewort, Scalloped-Leaved Lousewort
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Pedicularis crenulata (Scalloped-leaved lousewort) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by distinctive scalloped leaf margins.
Scalloped-leaved lousewort is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the eastern Sierra Nevada near Convict Creek in Mono County, inhabiting wet meadows and streambanks at elevations of 2,100 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces white to purple flowers with a distinctive club-like corolla 20 to 26 millimeters long, featuring a hooded upper lip and a fan-like lower lip with wavy margins. Growing 12 to 40 centimeters tall with generally simple stems that are tomentose toward the tip, it develops an upright and delicate form. Its leaves are distinctive, ranging 3 to 11 centimeters long, with linear shape and scalloped (doubly crenate) margins that are thick, rolled under, and wavy with a white edge. The plant produces fruits 10 to 20 millimeters long that are roughly lanceolate in outline, completing its unique alpine meadow adaptation.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; distinctive scalloped leaf margins
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet meadows, streambanks
Elevation: 2100-2300 m
California counties: Mono
Outside California: to Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado
Bloom period
Pedicularis crenulata blooms Jun-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.2
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 crenulata native to California?
Yes. Pedicularis crenulata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Pedicularis crenulata bloom?
Pedicularis crenulata blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Pedicularis crenulata grow?
Pedicularis crenulata occurs in Mono, at elevations of 2100-2300 m.
What plant family does Pedicularis crenulata belong to?
Pedicularis crenulata is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Pedicularis.
Is Pedicularis crenulata rare or endangered?
Pedicularis crenulata carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2, state rank S1.
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.