The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

bushy bird's-beak, bushy birdbeak

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

Stems

erect, 10–30(–90) cm, puberulent, sometimes pilose.

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

Leaves

puberulent;

proximal 10–40 mm, margins 3–5-lobed, lobes 1–2 mm wide;

distal 10–15 × 0.5–1 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

capitate spikes, 3–7-flowered;

bracts 1–7, 10–20 mm, margins 5–7-lobed, lobes green, sometimes purple distally, filiform.

spikes, 2-flowered, or flowers solitary;

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

Pedicels

bracteoles 10–20 mm, margins entire.

bracteoles 10–12 mm, margins entire.

Flowers

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

corolla pale yellow, spotted and streaked with purple, 10–20 mm, throat 4–6 mm diam., abaxial lip 3–5 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

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-lanceoloid, 8–10 mm.

oblong-lanceoloid, 7–9 mm.

Seeds

10–20, light brown, narrowly ovate, 1.5–2 mm, reticulate.

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

2n

= 24.

= 26.

Cordylanthus ramosus

Cordylanthus parviflorus

Phenology Flowering late Jun–Aug. Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Rocky, alkaline soils, sagebrush scrub. Dry, rocky slopes, sagebrush scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, Joshua tree woodlands.
Elevation 400–2900 m. (1300–9500 ft.) 700–2200 m. (2300–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 675. 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. pilosus, C. pringlei, 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
Synonyms Adenostegia ciliosa, A. ramosa, C. ramosus var. puberulus, C. ramosus subsp. setosus Adenostegia parviflora, C. glandulosus
Name authority Nuttall ex Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 597. (1846) (Ferris) Wiggins: Contr. Dudley Herb. 1: 174. (1933)
Web links