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hairy bird's-beak

purple bird's-beak, small-flower bird's-beak, sticky bird's-beak

Stems

erect or ascending, 10–90(–120) cm, densely puberulent and glandular-puberulent, and pilose.

erect to ascending, 20–60 cm, hirsute and densely glandular-pubescent.

Leaves

puberulent and pilose;

proximal 15–40 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 0.1–0.5 mm wide;

distal 10–25 × 0.1–0.3 mm, margins entire.

glandular-pubescent and hirsute;

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

distal 5–20 × 1 mm, margins entire.

Inflorescences

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

bracts 1–4, 10–20 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed, lobes green or purple distally, linear-lanceolate.

spikes, 2-flowered, or flowers solitary;

bracts 1(or 2), 5–15 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes sometimes purplish distally, linear-lanceolate.

Pedicels

bracteoles 15–20 mm, margins entire or toothed.

bracteoles 10–12 mm, margins entire.

Flowers

calyx 15–20 mm, tube 0–1 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 0.5–1 mm;

corolla pale yellow to yellow-green, streaked and spotted with maroon, 15–20 mm, tube 5–10 mm, throat 5–8 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 10–15 mm, tube 5–8 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 1 mm;

corolla pale pink to purple-pink with darker veins, 15–20 mm, tube 10–15 mm, throat 5–7 mm diam., abaxial lip 5–6 mm, shorter than and not appressed to adaxial;

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

Capsules

oblong-ovoid, 6–10 mm.

oblong-lanceoloid, 7–9 mm.

Seeds

10–18, dark brown, ovoid, 1.5–2.5 mm, striate.

15–20, dark brown, ovoid to reniform, 1.5–2 mm, reticulate and papillate.

2n

= 28.

= 26.

Cordylanthus pilosus

Cordylanthus parviflorus

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Dry, rocky slopes, sagebrush scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, Joshua tree woodlands.
Elevation 700–2200 m. (2300–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Cordylanthus parviflorus is similar to C. laxiflorus, which also has unequal corolla lips. It can be distinguished from C. laxiflorus by its pink to purple (versus yellow) corollas and stamens with two pollen sacs.

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

Key
1. Inflorescence bracts entire.
subsp. pilosus
1. Inflorescence bracts 3-lobed.
subsp. trifidus
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 674. FNA vol. 17, p. 673.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus
Sibling taxa
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. pilosus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
C. pilosus subsp. pilosus, C. pilosus subsp. trifidus
Synonyms Adenostegia parviflora, C. glandulosus
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 382. (1868) (Ferris) Wiggins: Contr. Dudley Herb. 1: 174. (1933)
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