Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Pedicularis groenlandica

Pedicularis groenlandica by andiwolfe
Pedicularis groenlandica, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Seen in the subalpine zone of the Snowy Mountains of Wyoming. Pedicularis is the largest genus of plants in the parasitic family Orobanchaceae. It's not clear just how many species there are, but estimates range from 350 - 700 or so. The epicenter for diversity is in the Himalayas.

What I love the most about this genus is the wide variety of floral shapes - all specific to different pollinators. The flowers of this species remind me of elephant heads.

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