About Pedicularis contorta Benth.
Pedicularis contorta Benth. is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae, with the common names coiled lousewort and curved-beak lousewort. This plant is native to western North America, specifically southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States. It grows in moist mountainous habitats, including bogs, shady forests, and meadows. It is a perennial herb that grows one or more stems reaching up to 40 centimetres (16 in) tall from a caudex. Its leaves can grow up to 18 centimetres (7.1 in) long, are lance-shaped to oblong, and are divided into many linear lobes that may be toothed or smooth-edged. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers that sits at the top of the stem. Each flower is one centimetre long or slightly longer, and ranges in color from white to yellowish. It is divided into a coiled or curved beak-like upper lip, and a flat, three-lobed lower lip. The fruit this plant produces is a capsule up to one centimetre long, holding seeds with netted surfaces.
