HOME ABOUT LISA BERRY CONTACT INFO GIFT IDEAS LINKS REVIEWS REFERENCES Alpine Buttercup Alpine Gold Alpine Heather Alpine Lily Brown's or Wild Peony Camas Lily Corn Lily Crimson Columbine Elephant Heads Great Red Paintbrush Green Gentian Large-Leaf Lupine Little Elephant's Head Mariposa Lily Monkshood Mountain Bluebells Mountain Jewelflower Prairie Smoke Ranger Buttons Red Mountain Heather Rock Fringe Rosy Sedum Showy Penstemon Sierra Gooseberry Sierra Primrose Sierra Shooting Star Sierra Wallflower Snowplant Steer's Head Swamp Onion Towering Larkspur

Scientific Name: Pedicularis groenlandica    Common Name: Elephant Heads    Family: Figwort    Color: Pink to Dark Pink   Description: Tiny elephant heads stacked atop each other on a 5 to 16 inch stem with frond-like leaves. Habitat: Stream banks and wet meadows. Edibility/Toxicity: Because this plant is partially parasitic with the roots often drawing nutrients from a nearby host, ingestion is not recommended However, the roots, if eaten sparingly have a parsnip-like taste, and the flowers were eaten by Inuit as a treat. Comments: This genus is recognized by modern herbalists as a mild sedative and muscle relaxant. Historically it was used to treat stomach ulcers, rheumatism, and urinary problems. Ojibwa Indians considered it an aphrodisiac.