
SNAPDRAGON FAMILY 33 
Lousewort, TuRTLE HEAD ~ PEDICULARIS CANADENSIS 
Plate 22, fig. 9 
The flowers of this Lousewort are yellowish and occur in crowded 
heads on low spreading stems, 4-6 in. high. They occur in mountain 
meadows at 6000-9000 ft. and bloom in spring and early summer. The 
name Lousewort is derived from the Latin one which was bestowed 
upon it, because once upon a time farmers believed that when their 
flocks fed upon the flowers the sheep were liable to be attacked by 
certain tiny lice or “pediculi.” The name Turtle Head is from a 
fancied resemblance of the flower to the protruded head of a turtle. 
The plants are supposed to be poisonous to sheep. 
BUTTER-AND-EGcs  LINARIA VULGARIS 
Plate 22, fig. 10 
The flowers of Butter-and-Eggs are yellow and orange, and the 
common name refers to these two shades of yellow. They bloom 
throughout the summer and fall and are common in waste places and 
fields at 3000-7000 ft. The plants are persistent deep-rooted perennial 
weeds, 8-20 in. tall, and may be eradicated whenever desired by short 
rotation of crops and thorough cultivation in spring and fall. They 
are regarded with suspicion as being poisonous and the juice mingled 
with milk constitutes a fly poison. At one time, however, the plants 
yielded what was considered a valuable skin lotion. 
LITTLE ELEPHANT ELEPHANTELLA GROENLANDICA 
Plate 22, fig. 11 
The flowers of the Little Elephant are pinkish-purple, and the 
elongated curved tube of the upper petal has a comical resemblance 
to an elephant’s trunk. The stems grow 4-24 in. tall and are found in 
swamps and wet meadows at 8000-12000 ft. The flowers are arranged 
in open spikes and bloom all summer long. 
