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Heller's bird's beak, King's bird's-beak

nodding bird's-beak

Stems

erect, 10–80 cm, puberulent, pubescent, or densely villous.

erect, 30–90 cm, hirsute to pilose, hairs glandular and eglandular.

Leaves

glandular-pubescent;

proximal 10–40 mm, margins 3–5-lobed, lobes linear to filiform, 1–3 mm wide;

distal 10–25 × 1 mm, margins entire.

densely pilose;

proximal 5–20 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1 mm wide;

distal 5–15 × 1 mm, margins entire.

Inflorescences

capitate spikes, 2–12-flowered, or flowers solitary;

bracts 1–6, 10–40 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes purple distally, narrowly lanceolate, linear, or filiform.

spikes, 1(–4)-flowered;

bract 1, 5–7 mm, 3-lobed, lobes green or purple, narrowly lanceolate.

Pedicels

bracteoles 10–40 mm, margins pinnately lobed.

bracteoles 10–20 mm, margins entire.

Flowers

calyx 15–30(–40) mm, tube 1–2.5 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 2–3 mm;

corolla lavender-pink to purple-red or yellow with purple veins and markings, 15–25(–30) mm, throat 5–7 mm diam., abaxial lip 5–10 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

calyx 10–17 mm, tube 2 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 0.5–1 mm;

corolla bright yellow, 15–20 mm, throat 3–5 mm diam., abaxial lip 7–10 mm, shorter than adaxial and slightly spreading;

stamens 4, filaments hairy, fertile pollen sacs 1 per filament, vestigial pollen sacs present.

Capsules

oblong-lanceoloid, 6–12 mm.

oblong-lanceoloid, 7–8 mm.

Seeds

15–20, light brown, ovoid to reniform, 2–2.5 mm, reticulate and papillate.

15–20, light brown, reniform, 1.5–2 mm, reticulate and papillate.

2n

= 26.

Cordylanthus kingii

Cordylanthus laxiflorus

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Rocky slopes, mesas, often limestone.
Elevation 1000–1900 m. (3300–6200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Cordylanthus laxiflorus is recognized by its bright yellow corollas with adaxial lip shorter than the galea. Cordylanthus parviflorus also has the abaxial lip shorter than the adaxial; it has pink to purple corollas.

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

Key
1. Bracts 3–6, lobes narrowly lanceolate to linear.
subsp. helleri
1. Bracts 1–3, lobes linear to filiform.
→ 2
2. Corollas 15–25 mm; stems puberulent to pubescent; spikes 20–40 mm, 3–5(–8)-flowered.
subsp. kingii
2. Corollas 25–30 mm; stems densely villous; spikes 40–50 mm, 8–12-flowered.
subsp. densiflorus
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 672. FNA vol. 17, p. 672.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus
Sibling taxa
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, 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. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pilosus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
C. kingii subsp. densiflorus, C. kingii subsp. helleri, C. kingii subsp. kingii
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 233, 460, plate 22, figs. 3–6. (1871) A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 120. (1859) — (as Cordylanthu)
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