Flora of North America species comparison

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Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus
Photo is of parent taxon

rigid bird's beak, stiffbranch bird's beak
Photo is of parent taxon

short bract bird's beak, stiffbranch bird's beak
Stems

pubescent and hirsute, often glabrescent, hairs stiff.

puberulent and sparsely hispid.
Spikes

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.

2–12-flowered;

proximal bracts 5–12 mm, shorter than flowers, midlobes green or red distally, linear-lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm wide, apex retuse to slightly rounded.
Flowers

corolla 12–20 mm.

corolla 8–17 mm.

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Open, montane woodlands, chaparral margins. Rocky opening in pine woodlands, pine-juniper woodlands, sagebrush scrub.
Elevation 300–2700 m. (1000–8900 ft.) 800–2600 m. (2600–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Subspecies brevibracteatus occurs on the Kern Plateau and resembles subsp. rigidus, found to the north in the Sierra Nevada. Both have flowers in compact heads; plants of subsp. brevibracteatus differ in having proximal bracts 5–12 mm.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 675. FNA vol. 17, p. 676.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus > Cordylanthus rigidus Orobanchaceae > Cordylanthus > Cordylanthus rigidus
Sibling taxa
C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, C. rigidus subsp. littoralis, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
C. rigidus subsp. littoralis, C. rigidus subsp. rigidus, C. rigidus subsp. setigerus
Synonyms C. compactus, C. ferrisianus, C. littoralis subsp. platycephalus, C. platycephalus, C. rigidus, C. rigidus var. ferrisianus C. filifolius var. brevibracteatus, Adenostegia rigida var. brevibracteata, C. rigidus var. brevibracteatus
Name authority unknown (A. Gray) Munz: Aliso 4: 98. (1958)
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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