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bird-on-nest, Mount Diablo bird's-beak, Mt. Diablo bird's-beak

rigid bird's beak, stiffbranch bird's beak

Stems

decumbent, 5–10(–15) cm, glandular-puberulent and pilose.

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

Leaves

glandular-puberulent and pilose;

proximal 10–30 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed, lobes 1–2 mm wide;

distal 10–20 × 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

spikes, 2- or 3-flowered, or flowers solitary;

bracts 2 or 3, 10–15 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes purple distally, linear to filiform.

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 10–15 mm, margins entire.

bracteoles 14–20 mm, margins entire or toothed.

Flowers

calyx 10–16 mm, tube 0 mm, apex entire;

corolla white with purple veins, 10–15 mm, throat 5–7(–9) mm diam., abaxial lip 3–5 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

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

oblong-ovoid, 5–7 mm.

oblong-ovoid, 8–12 mm.

Seeds

7–10, dark brown, ovoid to reniform, 1.5–2 mm, irregularly striate.

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

2n

= 28.

= 28.

Cordylanthus nidularius

Cordylanthus rigidus

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry, open serpentine in chaparral.
Elevation 600–800 m. (2000–2600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cordylanthus nidularius is the only member of the genus with decumbent stems. The species is similar to C. tenuis; it differs in its white (versus pale yellow) corollas and decumbent (versus erect to ascending) stems. It grows on the eastern slopes of Mt. Diablo.

(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. 673. FNA vol. 17, p. 675.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus
Sibling taxa
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, 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 Adenostegia rigida
Name authority J. T. Howell: Leafl. W. Bot. 3: 207. (1943) (Bentham) Jepson: Fl. W. Calif. ed. 2, 387. (1911)
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