Pedicularis racemosa

Leafy lousewort

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Leafy lousewort is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and southeastern Sierra Nevada in open conifer forest at elevations of 900 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white, yellow, or purple flowers with a distinctive down-curved beak on the upper lip, creating an intricate floral structure. Growing with decumbent stems 12 to 80 centimeters tall that branch toward the tip, it forms a sprawling, somewhat open habit. Its cauline leaves are 2 to 10 centimeters long, narrowly lanceolate with serrated or toothed edges, creating a delicate green backdrop for its unique flowers. The fruit is lance-shaped, measuring 10 to 16 millimeters long, with smooth seeds nestled within.

Habitat: Open conifer forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 900-2300 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, n SNH, SNE

California counties: Plumas, Nevada, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Placer, Butte, Trinity, Sierra, Yuba, Del Norte

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.