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slender bird's-beak, sticky birdbeak

nodding bird's-beak

Stems

erect to ascending, 20–80(–120) cm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent, puberulent, and/or pilose.

erect, 30–90 cm, hirsute to pilose, hairs glandular and eglandular.

Leaves

puberulent, often pilose, or glabrous;

proximal 20–60 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed, lobes 0.5–1 mm wide;

distal 10–40 × 0.3–2 mm, margins entire.

densely pilose;

proximal 5–20 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1 mm wide;

distal 5–15 × 1 mm, margins entire.

Inflorescences

spikes, 2–7-flowered, or flowers solitary;

bracts 1–4, 5–20 mm, margins entire or 3-lobed, lobes green or purple distally, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, apex rounded.

spikes, 1(–4)-flowered;

bract 1, 5–7 mm, 3-lobed, lobes green or purple, narrowly lanceolate.

Pedicels

bracteoles 10–20 mm, margins entire or toothed.

bracteoles 10–20 mm, margins entire.

Flowers

calyx 10–20 mm, tube 0 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 1 mm;

corolla pale yellow, marked with purple along veins and galea, 10–20 mm, throat 6–8 mm diam., abaxial lip 4–6 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

calyx 10–17 mm, tube 2 mm, apex 2-fid, cleft 0.5–1 mm;

corolla bright yellow, 15–20 mm, throat 3–5 mm diam., abaxial lip 7–10 mm, shorter than adaxial and slightly spreading;

stamens 4, filaments hairy, fertile pollen sacs 1 per filament, vestigial pollen sacs present.

Capsules

narrowly ovoid, 5–10 mm.

oblong-lanceoloid, 7–8 mm.

Seeds

6–16, dark brown, ovoid to rhomboid, 1.5–2.5 mm, striate.

15–20, light brown, reniform, 1.5–2 mm, reticulate and papillate.

2n

= 26.

Cordylanthus tenuis

Cordylanthus laxiflorus

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Rocky slopes, mesas, often limestone.
Elevation 1000–1900 m. (3300–6200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).

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

Cordylanthus laxiflorus is recognized by its bright yellow corollas with adaxial lip shorter than the galea. Cordylanthus parviflorus also has the abaxial lip shorter than the adaxial; it has pink to purple corollas.

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

Key
1. Leaf lobes filiform; stems glabrous proximally.
subsp. brunneus
1. Leaves or leaf lobes linear to linear-lanceolate; stems puberulent, glandular-puberulent, glandular-pubescent, and/or pilose proximally.
→ 2
2. Bracts densely hirsute.
subsp. barbatus
2. Bracts hirsute or pilose.
→ 3
3. Bracts entire.
subsp. tenuis
3. Bracts 3-lobed, sometimes entire.
→ 4
4. Leaves yellow-green; inflorescences 4–6-flowered.
subsp. pallescens
4. Leaves green to gray-green; inflorescences 1–3-flowered.
subsp. viscidus
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 676. FNA vol. 17, p. 672.
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. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. wrightii
C. capitatus, C. eremicus, C. kingii, C. nevinii, C. nidularius, C. parviflorus, C. pilosus, C. pringlei, C. ramosus, C. rigidus, C. tenuis, C. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
C. tenuis subsp. barbatus, C. tenuis subsp. brunneus, C. tenuis subsp. pallescens, C. tenuis subsp. tenuis, C. tenuis subsp. viscidus
Synonyms Adenostegia tenuis
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 383. (1868) A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 120. (1859) — (as Cordylanthu)
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