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slender bird's-beak, sticky birdbeak

Nevin's bird's-beak

Stems

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

ascending, 20–80 cm, densely puberulent and glandular-puberulent, sometimes pilose.

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 glandular-puberulent;

proximal 5–30 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes 1 mm wide;

distal 5–20 × 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, 2(or 3)-flowered, or flowers solitary;

bracts 1–3, 5–10 mm, margins 3-lobed, lobes white to cream distally, linear or slightly spatulate, apex rounded to retuse.

Pedicels

bracteoles 10–20 mm, margins entire or toothed.

bracteoles 10–15 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 10–15 mm, tube 1 mm, apex entire;

corolla white with purple veins, apex yellow, 10–18 mm, throat 5–8 mm diam., abaxial lip 3–5 mm, ca. equal to and appressed to adaxial;

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

Capsules

narrowly ovoid, 5–10 mm.

ovoid-oblong, 5–8 mm.

Seeds

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

6–10, dark brown, ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, striate.

2n

= 28.

Cordylanthus tenuis

Cordylanthus nevinii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Openings, hillsides, pine-oak woodlands.
Elevation 1400–2600 m. (4600–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).

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

Cordylanthus nevinii has relatively short inflorescence bracts, similar to those of C. rigidus subsp. brevibracteatus, which is sympatric. Cordylanthus nevinii can be distinguished by having only one fertile pollen sac per stamen and flowers much longer than the inflorescence bracts.

The corolla of Cordylanthus nevinii is very wide at the middle just proximal to the base of the adaxial lip. The flowers appear to have a pair of lateral pouches. This appearance is enhanced because the pouches are white, in contrast to the purple-veined adaxial lip.

(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. 673.
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. laxiflorus, 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: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 229. (1882)
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