Flower profile
Whorled lousewort
Pedicularis verticillata
Whorled lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata) is a flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family.
Whorled lousewort is a wildflower.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Alaska
Quick look
Pedicularis verticillata, the whorled lousewort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae which can be found in Alaska, North-Western Canada, and everywhere in China at the elevation of 2,100–4,400 metres (6,900–14,400 ft). Its native habitats include moist meadows and lakeshores.
- It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 705 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #59 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Alaska
- No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Alaska.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records whorled lousewort in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska.
Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Pediculariopsis verticillata.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 22 counties across 1 states; the most are in Alaska (22).
Other Pedicularis on Bloomipedia (8): Canadian lousewort, Warrior's plume, Elephant's-Head lousewort, Sickletop lousewort, Bracted lousewort, Dwarf lousewort, Labrador lousewort, Woolly lousewort.
More from the Orobanchaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Texas paintbrush, Purple owl's-clover, Felt paintbrush, Giant red paintbrush, Narrowleaf cow wheat, Desert paintbrush, Wholeleaf paintbrush, Florida bluehearts.
More Alaska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PEVE.
- iNaturalist, Pedicularis verticillata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Pedicularis verticillata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Pedicularis verticillata (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Amber M. King via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.