Flora of North America species comparison

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Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. littoralis

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus
Photo is of parent taxon

seaside bird's beak
Photo is of parent taxon

rigid bird's beak, stiffbranch bird's beak
Stems

downy to puberulent, hairs soft.

pubescent and hirsute, often glabrescent, hairs stiff.
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.

5–15-flowered;

proximal bracts 15–20 mm, longer than flowers, midlobes green or red distally, linear-lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm wide, apex rounded to retuse.
Flowers

corolla 15–20 mm.

corolla 12–20 mm.

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. littoralis

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dunes. Open, montane woodlands, chaparral margins.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 300–2700 m. (1000–8900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Subspecies rigidus is the most widespread of the subspecies, showing great variability in height, leaf shape, and amount of pubescence. It often can be recognized by its inflorescence bracts, which are rounded to retuse and longer than the flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 676. FNA vol. 17, p. 675.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus > Cordylanthus rigidus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus > Cordylanthus rigidus
Sibling taxa
C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, C. rigidus subsp. rigidus, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, C. rigidus subsp. littoralis, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
Synonyms Adenostegia littoralis, C. littoralis, C. rigidus var. littoralis C. compactus, C. ferrisianus, C. littoralis subsp. platycephalus, C. platycephalus, C. rigidus, C. rigidus var. ferrisianus
Name authority (Ferris) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 10: 42. (1986) unknown
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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