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Photo is of parent taxon

seaside bird's beak

Stems

downy to puberulent, hairs soft.

Spikes

5–8-flowered;

proximal bracts 15–20 mm, equal to or longer than flowers, midlobes green or red distally, lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, apex acute to retuse.

Flowers

corolla 15–20 mm.

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. littoralis

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dunes.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies littoralis grows only in the coastal dunes of the central coast in Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. It intergrades with subsp. rigidus. It is not known if this subspecies is genetically distinct or if its distinguishing features are caused by the unusual habitat where the plants grow.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 676.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus > Cordylanthus rigidus
Sibling taxa
C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, C. rigidus subsp. rigidus, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
Synonyms Adenostegia littoralis, C. littoralis, C. rigidus var. littoralis
Name authority (Ferris) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 10: 42. (1986)
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