Pedicularis labradorica

Common Names

Labrador Lousewort

Summary

Labrador lousewort is a circumpolar boreal/subarctic hemiparasitic herb with a short stature, typically 2–25 cm tall, arising from a taproot and bearing erect, often branched stems that are white-hairy below the leaf bases. Basal leaves are small; cauline leaves are alternate, lanceolate to linear with crenate margins. The inflorescence is a panicle of 5–10 yellow flowers 13–19 mm long, with a two-lipped corolla and a helmet-like upper lip that may show red markings. It grows in muskegs and open, mossy, not-too-dry heath, tundra, and dry meadows across montane to subalpine zones, with a circumpolar distribution from Alaska to Greenland and across boreal Asia.

Cultivation favors humus-rich, moist soil with winter-dry conditions and partial shade, with shading in summer and winter protection in an alpine greenhouse in difficult climates; propagation is by winter sowing with seeds barely covered, germination taking 1–3 months at 10–16°C, and division in spring as new growth appears.

Lifecycle

Biennial

Height

5-12 inches

Spread

1-10 inches

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun or partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, humus-rich peat soils

Soil Drainage

Poorly drained, moist soils

Bloom Color

Yellow, often with orange or red markings; can be dark yellow or reddish.

Bloom Time

Summer

Foliage Color

Yellow

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Not specified.

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds and Division