Wood Betony; Lousewokt (Pedicularis canadensis) 
is a peculiar plant that we find in dry woods and 
thickets and often along roadsides. 
The flowering stems are stout, hairy and leafy; they 
rise to heights of 6 to 18 inches. The leaves are all 
fernlike in form; many of them rise on long hairy stems 
from the roots and smaller ones alternate up the flower 
stalk. The flower spike is short and densely flowered 
and contains many small bract-like leaves among the 
tubular flowers. The corolla is composed of two lips, 
the upper one being arched and strongly curved or 
hooked at the tip. The upper lip varies from a yel¬ 
lowish green in freshly opened flowers to a dull reddish 
on the mature blossoms, this latter being the beefsteak 
color alluded to in one of its common names. 
Wood Betony is found from Nova Scotia to Manitoba 
and southwards. It is quite abundant throughout its 
range and its flowers may be found from early in May 
to the latter part of July. 
166 
