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Pringle's bird's-beak

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

Stems

erect or ascending, 30–120(–150) cm, glabrous or puberulent.

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

Leaves

puberulent or glabrous;

proximal 10–40 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1–2 mm wide;

distal 5–20 × 1 mm, margins entire.

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.

Inflorescences

capitate spikes, 2–4-flowered, 15–20 mm;

bracts 1–3, flabelliform, 5–8 mm, margins 3–7-lobed, lobes green, narrowly ovate.

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.

Pedicels

bracteoles 8–10 mm, margins entire.

bracteoles 10–40 mm, margins pinnately lobed.

Flowers

calyx 8–10 mm, tube 0 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 0.5–1 mm;

corolla pale yellow to yellow with purple markings, 8–9 mm, throat 4 mm diam., adaxial lip 3–4 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

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.

Capsules

oblong-ovoid, 5–8 mm.

oblong-lanceoloid, 6–12 mm.

Seeds

4–6, dark brown, ovoid to narrowly reniform, 2.5–3 mm, striate.

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

2n

= 28.

Cordylanthus pringlei

Cordylanthus kingii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dry openings in chaparral and mixed-evergreen forests.
Elevation 300–1900 m. (1000–6200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cordylanthus pringlei grows in the Coast Range of California. The species is distinctive because of its flabelliform inflorescence bracts and relatively short corollas.

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

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

(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. 674. FNA vol. 17, p. 672.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus
Sibling taxa
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. laxiflorus, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pilosus, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. laxiflorus, 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 A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 94. (1883) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 233, 460, plate 22, figs. 3–6. (1871)
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