
Indian Warrior
Pedicularis densiflora
NATIVE
Description (Jepson, PlantID.net)
- Eudicotyledon
- Eudicots are a major lineage of flowering plants; see family for general characteristics
- Broomrape Family (Orobanchaceae)
- Perennial herb, hemi-parasitic
- Grows from rhizomes (horizontal underground stems)
- Short stalks of flowers and bracts (modified leaves) with fern-like leaves at base
- Upper leaves, bracts, and flowers reddish
- Leaves
- Lobed and toothed
- Lower leaves alternate (1 leaf at each junction with stem) and compound (divided into leaflets); upper leaves smaller and simple (not divided into leaflets)
- Emerging rosettes of leaves are red, turning green; some upper leaves remain red
- Flowers
- Inflorescence (flower cluster) is a dense, spike-like raceme (unbranched stem with stalked flowers opening from the bottom up)
- Bilaterally-symmetrical tubular flower
- Red, long, hooded upper lip of 2 fused petals attracts pollinators
- White- or yellow-tipped, very short lower lip of 3 fused petals provides a landing platform
- Ovary superior (above the attachment of other flower parts)
- Fruit a capsule (a dry, multi-chambered fruit that splits open at maturity)
- Fruits are small, numerous, and wind-dispersed
- Height to ~2 ft.

Distribution
- Native to California
- Grows in pine forests, oak woodlands, and chaparral
- See Calflora for statewide observations of this plant
- Outside California, grows in southern Oregon
- Grows at elevations to 7,000 ft.
Uses (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)
- Wildlife
- Nectar source for hummingbirds
- Native people
- Used as a skeletal muscle relaxant (Northeast School of Botanical Medicine 2012)
- Used by some tribes for psychoactive properties
Name Derivation
- Pedicularis (ped-ik-yoo-LARE-is) – from the Latin for “louse,” as ingestion by livestock was thought to cause lice
- densiflora (den-si-FLOR-a) – from the Latin for “densely flowered”
- Warrior’s plume – refers to the overall look of the flowering plant, suggesting war bonnets worn by some Native people
Notes
- Partial root parasite (hemiparasitic): capable of photosynthesis, but obtaining nutrients and water from other plants, such as manzanitas and oaks
- Specialized root structures called haustoria (singular, haustorium) penetrate the host plant’s roots
- Pollinated by bumblebees and hummingbirds (Lazarus 1986)
- Look closely to differentiate the flower from the other reddish parts, including leaves and bracts
ID Tips
- May be confused with Castilleja species, e.g. paintbrushes and owl’s-clovers, which are also in the Broomrape family and hemi-parasitic
- Warrior’s plume has fern-like leaves and grows in woodlands
- Castilleja species lack fern-like leaves and grows in many habitats
- Check out this short Jepson video for more ID tips
At Edgewood
- Found in woodlands
- The upper reaches of the Sylvan trail has remarkable examples of warrior’s plume parasitizing coast live oaks
- See iNaturalist for observations of this plant
- Flowers January – July
Specific References
Lazarus, W.M. 1986. Floral resource sharing by bumblebees and hummingbirds in Pedicularis (Scrophulariaceae) pollination. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 113: 101-109. JSTOR.
Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. 2012. Pedicularis (Lousewort) Monograph – Pedicularis as a Skeletal Muscle Relaxant.
Sprague, E.F. 1962. Pollination and evolution in Pedicularis (Scrophulariaceae). Aliso 5: 181-209.