RED HELMET 



Pedicularis bracteosa Bentham 



Red helmet, or wood betony, is found plentifully in the Cana- 

 dian Rocky Mountains, and frequently, before it comes into bloom, 

 deceives the passer-by, who assumes that its fern-like leaves are fern 

 fronds. The flowers are curious in structure, the "helmet" having 

 the shape of a walrus head with tusks on either side, and being so 

 arranged that it protects the stamens from the rain. Insect visitors are 

 plentiful, and gather the nectar easily from its shallow receptacles. 



This member of the Figwort Family ranges from Colorado to 

 California, and northward to Alberta and British Columbia. 



The specimen sketched was gathered near Baker Lake, fifteen 

 miles north of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 6,000 

 feet. 



PLATE 2.58 



