Canadian lousewort
Pedicularis canadensis
An old European superstition held that livestock grazing on these plants would become infested with lice, giving rise to the common name 'lousewort'.
- Scientific name
- Pedicularis canadensis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Orobanchaceae › Pedicularis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dry to mesic deciduous forests, oak savannas, and tallgrass prairies.
- Diet
- Hemiparasitic; produces its own energy via photosynthesis but also siphons water and nutrients from the roots of host plants.
- Range
- Eastern Canada, Eastern United States, Midwestern United States
- Size
- 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (potentially decades via clonal root systems)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat destruction, fire suppression (which leads to overgrown, dark forest floors), and displacement by aggressive invasive weeds.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and safe to approach. You can closely observe its unique swirling flowers. Do not dig up or harvest this plant, as its survival depends on complex underground root connections with neighboring host trees and grasses. If touched, wash hands as a general precaution, though it is non-toxic to the skin.
Pedicularis canadensis is a flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family and is also known as wood betony, beefsteak plant, Canadian lousewort, high heal-all, snaffles and Canada lousewort. It is found in thickets and dry, open wooded areas throughout Canada and the United States. It is a low, hairy plant with a broad whorl of tubular, hooded flowers on top of a segmented stalk. It has long, soft, hairy leaves (many are basal, growing tufted from roots),...
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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