Elephant's-Head lousewort
Pedicularis groenlandica
The intricate flower shape is a perfect mimic of an elephant's head, where the 'trunk' actually houses the plant's style to ensure pollination by bumblebees.
- Scientific name
- Pedicularis groenlandica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Orobanchaceae › Pedicularis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Alpine and subalpine wet meadows, bogs, and cold stream banks.
- Diet
- Hemiparasitic (photosynthetic but extracts nutrients and water from the roots of nearby grasses and sedges).
- Range
- Canada, Western United States, Greenland
- Size
- 20 to 60 centimeters in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (5-10+ years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change reducing alpine snowpack, wetland drainage, and heavy livestock grazing.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is safe to approach and photograph. Avoid trampling the saturated soil nearby, as it can damage the delicate root systems of both the lousewort and its host plants.
Pedicularis groenlandica is a showy flowering plant in the broomrape family which is known by the common names elephant's head and elephanthead lousewort . This erect plant can grow to a height of 80 centimetres (31 in). Its sharply-toothed fernlike leaves are located low on the stout stem. The stem is topped with a large inflorescence of bright pink to purple or white flowers. Each flower has a long, pointed beak which curves upward, superficially resembling the trunk...
Photo: Laura Holloway, CC0, via iNaturalist
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