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Yakima bird's-beak, Yakima birdbeak

rigid bird's beak, stiffbranch bird's beak

Stems

erect or ascending, 10–50 cm, densely glandular-pubescent and pilose.

ascending, 30–100(–150) cm, pubescent, hirsute, glabrescent, puberulent, sparsely hispid, or downy.

Leaves

glandular-pubescent and pilose;

proximal 20–40(–50) mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1–2 mm wide;

distal 10–30 × 1 mm, margins entire.

puberulent and often hirsute;

proximal 10–40 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1–3 mm wide;

distal 10–30 × 0.5–1.5 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed.

Inflorescences

capitate spikes, 2–5-flowered;

bracts 1–5, 10–20 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes green and purple, linear to linear-lanceolate.

capitate spikes, 2–15-flowered;

bracts 5–10, 5–20 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed, lobes purplish black, ivory, or green distally, linear-lanceolate to linear or slightly spatulate.

Pedicels

bracteoles 12–18 mm, margins entire.

bracteoles 14–20 mm, margins entire or toothed.

Flowers

calyx 10–15 mm, tube 2–4 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 3–5 mm;

corolla purple-red, apex yellow, 10–20 mm, throat 4–6 mm diam., abaxial lip 3–5 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

stamens 2, filaments glabrous, fertile pollen sacs 1 per filament, vestigial pollen sacs present.

calyx 10–20 mm, tube 1–2 mm, apex entire or 2-fid, cleft 0–1 mm;

corolla pale yellow with purple veins and an abaxial, U-shaped, purple mark, 8–20 mm, throat 5–10 mm diam., abaxial lip 6–10 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

stamens 4, filaments hairy, fertile pollen sacs 2 per filament, subequal.

Capsules

ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 5–7 mm.

oblong-ovoid, 8–12 mm.

Seeds

4–6, dark brown, narrowly ovoid to reniform, 2–2.5 mm, reticulate.

10–25, dark brown, oblong-ovoid, 1.5–2 mm, striate.

2n

= 26.

= 28.

Cordylanthus capitatus

Cordylanthus rigidus

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Openings in conifer woodlands and juniper scrub.
Elevation 1400–2300 m. (4600–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cordylanthus capitatus is often associated with Artemisia tridentata and may be hemiparasitic on it.

Cordylanthus capitatus is distinguished by having only two anthers, each with one fertile pollen sac; infertile vestiges of the second pollen sac usually are present. The species can be recognized by its short-capitate inflorescences, the single, spathelike, deeply cleft calyx lobe, and the purple-red corollas with yellow tips.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

Cordylanthus rigidus is variable, with many locally distinctive populations that intergrade with each other and with nearby species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Proximal bracts 5–12 mm, shorter than flowers.
subsp. brevibracteatus
1. Proximal bracts 10–20 mm, equal to or longer than flowers.
→ 2
2. Proximal bracts: midlobes linear, 0.5–1 mm wide, dark purple distally.
subsp. setigerus
2. Proximal bracts: midlobes linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1–2.5 mm wide, green or red distally.
→ 3
3. Stems pubescent and hirsute, hairs stiff; proximal bracts: midlobe apices retuse.
subsp. rigidus
3. Stems downy to puberulent, hairs soft; proximal bracts: midlobe apices acute to retuse.
subsp. littoralis
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 671. FNA vol. 17, p. 675.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus
Sibling taxa
C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pilosus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pilosus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, C. rigidus subsp. littoralis, C. rigidus subsp. rigidus, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
Synonyms C. nevadensis Adenostegia rigida
Name authority Nuttall ex Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 597. (1846) (Bentham) Jepson: Fl. W. Calif. ed. 2, 387. (1911)
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