Flora of North America species comparison

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Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. littoralis
Photo is of parent taxon

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

seaside bird's beak
Stems

pubescent and hirsute, often glabrescent, hairs stiff.

downy to puberulent, hairs soft.
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.

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 12–20 mm.

corolla 15–20 mm.

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. rigidus

Cordylanthus rigidus subsp. littoralis
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Open, montane woodlands, chaparral margins. Dunes.
Elevation 300–2700 m. (1000–8900 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 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 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. 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. brevibracteatus, 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 Adenostegia littoralis, C. littoralis, C. rigidus var. littoralis
Name authority unknown (Ferris) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 10: 42. (1986)
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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