Pedicularis palustris

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Marsh lousewort
PedicularisPalustris.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Pedicularis
Species:
P. palustris
Binomial name
Pedicularis palustris

Pedicularis palustris, commonly known as marsh lousewort or red rattle, [2] is a plant species in the family Orobanchaceae. [3] It is native to central and northern Europe and Asia where it grows in wetlands and boggy habitats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern. [1]

Contents

Description

The nominate subspecies Pedicularis palustris subsp. palustris, which occurs in the west of the range, is a straggly biennial plant with a much-branched, usually erect stem up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. The leaves are alternate or opposite, with a short stalk. The leaf blades are triangular-lanceolate to linear, with pinnate lobes and toothed margins. The inflorescence is a raceme with leaf-like bracts. Each bilaterally symmetrical flower has a short stalk and a large, rounded, toothed calyx. The flower is reddish-purple and up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long, with five petals fused into a tube, the upper lip being slightly shorter than the lower lip. The fruit is a capsule. The other subspecies, Pedicularis palustris subsp. karoi, which occurs in the east of the range, is an annual plant and has smaller flowers. [4] This species can be distinguished from common lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) by having two calyx lobes rather than four, and four small teeth at the tip of the upper lip rather than two. It is also taller and more erect, and is found in wetter locations. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Marsh lousewort is found in central and northern Europe and Asia. In Europe, it occurs in Scandinavia and southwards through most of Europe at altitudes of up to 1,200 m (4,000 ft). [1] In the British Isles, it mostly occurs in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, western England and East Anglia. In Asia, it occurs in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northern China. Typical habitat is wetlands, swamps, fens, marshes, wet meadows and ditches. [4]

Ecology

Marsh lousewort is a semi-parasitic plant, the roots sucking nourishment from adjacent plants. The flowers are pollinated by honey bees and bumblebees; these land on the lower lip, which droops under their weight allowing them to thrust their head inside the flower and extract the nectar, getting powdered with pollen at the same time. [5]

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Pedicularis dudleyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common name Dudley's lousewort. It is endemic to central California, where it is known from about ten scattered occurrences along the coast and in the coastal mountain ranges. It has been found in three locations along the Central California coast. The species was named for 19th-century Stanford University botanist William Dudley.

P. palustris may refer to:

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<i>Pedicularis sylvatica</i> Species of flowering plant

Pedicularis sylvatica, commonly known as common lousewort, is a plant species in the genus Pedicularis. It is native to central and northern Europe where it grows on moist acidic soils, moorland, grassy heathland and the drier parts of marshes.

<i>Clinopodium menthifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Vicia tenuifolia</i> Species of plant

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Lansdown, R.V. (2014). "Pedicularis palustris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T19620542A19621146. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T19620542A19621146.en . Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. Field Botanist's Book (13 ed.). Wild Flower Society (UK). 1990.
  3. 1 2 Farmer, Carl. "Marsh Lousewort: Pedicularis palustris". West Highland Flora. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Pedicularis palustris Linnaeus, 1753". Flora of China. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. "Marsh lousewort: Pedicularis palustris". NatureGate. Retrieved 28 January 2020.