Pedicularis sudetica : Sudeten Lousewort

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Genera: Pedicularis (Lousewort, Fernweed) (Lat. pediculus = a louse; animals who ate these plants were said to be protected from lice.)

Species: sudetica (of the Sudetes, a mountain range of east-central Europe)

Synonym(s): P. sudetica ssp. interior / albolabiata / pacifica

English Name(s):

Sudeten Lousewort, Sudetic/Swedish Fernweed, Purple Rattle

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plants herbaceous (not woody).
• Stems single or several together, 4-35cm or more high, purplish, usually leafless.
• From a stout branched rhizome (rootstock) with spindle shaped roots.

Leaves:

• Basal leaves long petioled (stalked).
• Pinnate or pinnately lobed.
• Segments dentate (toothed) to pinnately lobed.
• Cauline (stem) leaves 1 or 2 or lacking.

Reproductive Parts:

• Inflorescence (flower cluster) several to many flowered, at first capitate (head-like) but soon elongating, the flowers spirially arranged.
• Flowers perfect (bisexual), irregular in symetry.
• Bracts usually simmilar to leaves but quite small.
• Calyx (sepals) 8-12mm long, with 5 narrow lobes, white-woolly to glabrous (hairless).
• Corolla (petals) 15-24mm long, upper lip arching, with 2 small teeth at top, dark purple, lower lip 3-lobed, pink or spotted.
• Stamens (male parts) 4, in 2 pairs.

Seed:

• Fruit is a capsule.
• Seed capsules 9-14mm long, flattened, oblong in shape and abruptly contracted to a short beak, splitting open lenghtwise between the partitions into the central cavity.
• Seeds large, relatively few per plant.

Not to Be Confused With:

• The 2 coloured flowers with a purple upper lip and pink lower lip and few to no stem leaves distinguish Pedicularis sudetica (Sudenten Lousewort) from the other Louseworts.

Physiology:

• These plants are partial parasites with no outward sing of differing from normal, self-supporting plants.
• P. sudetica (Sudeten Lousewort) was once divided into a number of sub-species but are now all considered one.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• Leaves deciduous (falling off).
• BLooming to mid-July, mostly gone to seed by third week of July.

Animal Uses:

• Animals will not eat these plants as they contain poisonous glycosides.
• Their blossoms are typical bee flowers, with landing platforms, abundant nectar, and bright colours.
• It is interesting to note that Pedicularis (Louseworts) and Bombus (Bumblebees) share the same geographic range.

Habitat:

• Rather wet calcareous tundra and lakeshores.
• Dry to wet meadows and lake shores in tundra, heathlands and woods.

Modern:

Industrial:

• Flower stalks, dried, are used for olive green dye.
• Despite its name, no reference to the use of Pedicularis (Louseworts) for repelling lice was found.

Medicinal:

• An infusion using 7-15ml per 250ml water is said to be an effective sedative. It is also said to act as a mild relaxant for skeletal muscles and the cerebruim, queting anxiety and tension.
• The plant fresh or dried has mild astringent and antiseptic properties and is used to stop bleeding of minor injuries.

Food:

• Roots or young flowering stems of all Pedicularis (Louseworts) can be eaten raw or used as a pot-herb.

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

• Siberian natives eat young shoots boiled in soup.