Frederick-Augustus' Lousewort (Pedicularis friderici-augusti)

The Saxon king, Frederick-Augustus, was such an enthusiastic botanist that in 1838 he travelled to Carniola to see some famous plants. He continued his journey to Idrija and Trieste. From there, he went by sea to Montenegro. In Trieste, he met the botanist, M. Tommasini, who in honour of such an important visit christened an unknown species of lousewort from Slavnik after the king.

The pale yellow lousewort belongs to the Figwort family. It has pale yellow flowers. The upper lip (standard) is helmet shaped and has a short "beak" which ends in two teeth. The calyx and corolla are densely covered with woolly hairs. It grows on grasslands from Slovenia to Albania and in the Italian Appenines.

It is classified in the Red List of threatened ferns and seed bearing plants among affected species. It can be seen on hayfields in April between Kozina and the Krvava stream, on Črnotiče, Prešnica and in its classical locality on Slavnik.

Fourteen species from the lousewort genus grow in Slovenia, and four have been described from places here. Stemless Lousewort (Pedicularis acaulis) was described more than two hundred years ago by I. A. Scopoli. Hacquet's Lousewort (Pedicularis hacquetii) and Pale Yellow Lousewort were described more than one hundred and fifty years ago. Julian Lousewort (Pedicularis julica) was recognised as a new species by the university teacher of systematic botany, Prof. dr. Ernest Mayer.