Pedicularis L.
Fernweed, Lousewort.
Scrophulariaceae, fernweed family.
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; (2–)5–15(–25) cm high; plants with fern-like basal leaves and yellowish of purplish-pink bilabiate flowers in an inflorescence spike. Taproot present, or absent. Caudex present. Ground-level or under-ground stems horizontal, or vertical and often branched, or not developed horizontally or vertically. Aerial stems erect; glabrous, or sparsely hairy, or densely hairy; stem hairs appressed, or spreading. Leaves heterophyllous, or not heterophyllous; distributed along the stems, or in a basal tuft; alternate; simple (basal leaves pinnately divided); existing for a single season or less. Petioles present (basal leaves), or absent (leaves near the inflorescence); (0.5–)10–45 mm long; winged, or unwinged; glabrous, or hairy; puberulent, or villous, or woolly (if applicable); hairs less than the diameter of the petiole, or hairs more than the diameter of the petiole. Petioles hairs spreading; floccose, or curved, or wavy. Leaf blade bases truncate (basal leaf divisions erect). Blades 6–50(–75) mm long; 2–13(–15) mm wide. Blades spreading, or divaricate, or reflexed; straight, or somewhat curled; lanceolate; veins pinnate, or appearing single-veined. Blades adaxial surface glabrous, or hairy. Blades adaxial surface hairs simple, unbranched; sparse, or moderately dense; white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface glabrous, or hairy. Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse, or moderately dense. Blades abaxial surface hairs woolly. Blades abaxial surface hairs straight, or curved, or wavy. Blade margins crenate, or dentate, or deeply divided. Leaf apices acuminate, or acute, or obtuse, or rounded.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems with leaves, or without leaves; glabrous, or hairy. Flowering stem hairs puberulent, or woolly; simple (floccose); white or translucent. Inflorescence dense, or diffuse; oblong, or globose or subglobose, or cylindrical; 1–9(–10) cm long; 5–35 mm wide; elongating as the fruit matures, or not elongating as the fruit matures. Pedicels present, or absent (flowers often subsessile). Flowers medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length, or large, more than 15 mm in diameter or length; zygomorphic. Calyx sepals 5; fused; 4–13 mm long. Calyx yellow, or purple, or black, or pink, or white or translucent. Petals fused. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 2. Ovaries ovate, or inverse turnip-shaped.
Chromosome information. 2n = 16. Ploidy levels recorded 2x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: North American; Canada. Nunavut Islands, Northern Québec. Low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Rare. Arctic Islands: Baffin.
Notes. Subgenera that have been recognized in the genus are
Sceptrum (sect. Capitatae, Sceptrum), Pedicularis
(sect. Edentulae, Pedicularis, Pharyngodon,
Rostratae) and Verticillatae (sect. Verticillatae).
(Elven).
Macior (1975) reported on the pollination ecology of
Pedicularis in the Yukon Territory, Kluane Range of the St. Elias
Mountains. He found that seed production in all six species, that occur in the
area (P. capitata P. lanata (kanei), P.
langsdorffii,, P. labradorica, P. sudetica, and P.
verticillata) depended on bumblebees (Bombus Latr. species). Asexual
propagation by root and crown branching was present in P. capitata and
P. langsdorffii. Cinematographic and stereophotographic records indicated
that bumblebee queens forage in an upright (nototribic) position for nectar and
pollen. Bombus workers forage upright on P. verticallata,
inverted on P. labradorica, and in both positions on P. capitata,
P. lanata, P. langsdorffii, and P. sudetica. The potential
for hybridization between Pedicularis species by reason of overlapping
blooming periods, sharing of the same or adjacent habitats, and recovery of
individually marked pollinators was noted. Analysis of 1402 corbicular pollen
loads from 1769 pollinating bumblebees of 14 species of Bombus on
Pedicularis revealed equal numbers of pure and mixed loads were
collected. This suggests a low level of forager fidelity to a single plant
species. Investigation of colours of corollas in visible light by reflectance
spectrophotometry and in long-wave (360 nm) ultraviolet light by photography
revealed distinct reflectance spectra for visible light but no ultraviolet
reflectance. A wide range of sugar concentrations in nectars from the six
species of Pedicularis was detected by refractometry. Chromatographic
analysis of nectars indicated fructose and sucrose in nectars of four species
with P. lanata and P. langsdorfii having additional glucose and
raffinose or glucose and rhamnose, repectively. Nectar was abundant in all
species except P. labradoica. A comparison of lengths of nectariferous
tubes of corollas, lengths of tongues (prementum plus glossa) of pollinators,
behaviour of pollinators, and diversity of species of pollinators on each
species of Pedicularis indicated that adaptive behaviour of pollinators
was related to the length of tongues of pollinators. It is suggested that
interactions between floral mechanisms and pollinating insects probably
contributed substantially to the present diversity of floral form in species of
Pedicularis in North America.
Williams and Batzlli (1982) studied
five species of Pedicularis (P. lanata [kanei], P.
langsdorffii, P. sudetica, P. capitata and P. lapponica) that are
common near Atkasook, Alaska, and rely on bumble-bees for pollination. In 1975
and 1976, bumblebees were not abundant and although most flowers were pollinated
(60–95% depending on year and species), only 20–50% of the ovules in
pollinated flowers developed. All species shared characteristics that favored
outcrossing; all were protogynous, all required an insect vector for pollination
and all, except a late-flowering species, produced more seeds when outcrossed
than when inbred. Despite a short growing season, 1 species bloomed earlier than
the rest and 1 bloomed later than the rest. The early species (P.
(kanei) lanata) had the largest shoots and produced many seeds
even though nectar production and pollination success (seeds per ovule) were
low. The late species (P. lapponica) had the smallest shoots and produced
few seeds even though pollination success was high. Of the species blooming in
mid-season, P. capitata, had few flowers, and thus few seeds per shoot,
even though nectar production and pollination success were high; P.
langsdorffii had large numbers of ovules, high pollination success and the
largest number of seeds per shoot; and P. sudetica had intermediate
number of ovules but low pollination success and low numbers of seeds per shoot
when growing in isolated patches. Species that had greater leaf weight per shoot
(more photosynthetic material) produced more seeds so that their total weight
seed produced per shoot was larger. Analysis of dispersion patterns indicated
that each species reached peak abundance in different habitats and that local
spatial overlap (1-m2 quadrats) was slight. The authors reported that these
patterns could be interpreted as responses to competitive interactions, but
sexual reproduction was less successful in relatively pure stands of a single
species than in mixed stands of several species. Apparently, plants in mixed
stands benefited from attraction of bees because of the greater density of
flowers. Once attracted, individual bees tended to concentrate their foraging on
a single species of plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).