Cordylanthus capitatus
Encyclopedia
Yakima bird's-beak, also called clustered bird's-beak (Cordylanthus capitatus), is an uncommon plant
of the Western U.S.
es, 10–50 cm, glaucous-green or grey-purple, densely glandular- and nonglandular-hairy. Stem
s paniculately branched; herbage green, pubescent (spreading-viscid and short-glandular-pilose) with long soft white hairs. Leaves
of main stem alternate, deeply divided into 3 linear to thread-like segments, 20–40 mm; of the branches entire, few and remote. Inflorescences "leafy" 2—4 flowered small capitate spikes, 15–20 mm, head-like; bracts gland
-tipped, of 2 kinds: those subtending the spike 4–7, linear-lanceolate, palmately divided (lobes 3 in lower ½), 10–20 mm; those subtending each flower entire or pinnately divided, 12–18 mm, elliptical, acute, entire, arched outward, purplish. Flower
calyx
purplish, 10–15 mm (shorter than the inner floral bract), tube 2–4 mm, tip bifid 2—3 mm deep, ca 1/3 of the calyx length; corolla 10–20 mm, erect, straight or nearly so, maroon, puberulent with reflexed hairs; lips subequal in length: galea pale, whitish, with a yellow-tip, finely pubescent and dark purple dorsally: lower lip shorter than upper: throat moderately inflated, 4–6 mm wide; stamen
s 2: filaments glabrous or nearly so, dilated above base and forming a U-shaped curve near the anther: anther sac 1 (with vestiges of a second), ciliate. Capsule
slender, pointed, 8—10 mm long. Seed
s 4–6, 2–2.5 mm, rather reniform, shallowly reticulate, rather smooth between nets.
, to the Warner Mountains of north-eastern California
. It lives in open upland slopes and flats, within lower montane yellow pine
forests and Great Basin juniper
scrub, in dry, gravelly basalt
ic soil. It is usually associated with sagebrush
, being a hemiparasite of that plant. Its elevation
al range is from 4,575 to 7625 ft (2,324.1 m) above sea level.
List 2.2.
NatureServe
Global Rank: G4
The threats facing Yaquima bird's-beak are not known at present.
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
of the Western U.S.
Technical Description
Annual with spreading branchBranch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...
es, 10–50 cm, glaucous-green or grey-purple, densely glandular- and nonglandular-hairy. Stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s paniculately branched; herbage green, pubescent (spreading-viscid and short-glandular-pilose) with long soft white hairs. Leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
of main stem alternate, deeply divided into 3 linear to thread-like segments, 20–40 mm; of the branches entire, few and remote. Inflorescences "leafy" 2—4 flowered small capitate spikes, 15–20 mm, head-like; bracts gland
Gland
A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release of substances such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface .- Types :...
-tipped, of 2 kinds: those subtending the spike 4–7, linear-lanceolate, palmately divided (lobes 3 in lower ½), 10–20 mm; those subtending each flower entire or pinnately divided, 12–18 mm, elliptical, acute, entire, arched outward, purplish. Flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
purplish, 10–15 mm (shorter than the inner floral bract), tube 2–4 mm, tip bifid 2—3 mm deep, ca 1/3 of the calyx length; corolla 10–20 mm, erect, straight or nearly so, maroon, puberulent with reflexed hairs; lips subequal in length: galea pale, whitish, with a yellow-tip, finely pubescent and dark purple dorsally: lower lip shorter than upper: throat moderately inflated, 4–6 mm wide; stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s 2: filaments glabrous or nearly so, dilated above base and forming a U-shaped curve near the anther: anther sac 1 (with vestiges of a second), ciliate. Capsule
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
slender, pointed, 8—10 mm long. Seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s 4–6, 2–2.5 mm, rather reniform, shallowly reticulate, rather smooth between nets.
Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology
This plant is endemic to its range, an area stretching from central Washington, to the western edge of MontanaMontana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, to the Warner Mountains of north-eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It lives in open upland slopes and flats, within lower montane yellow pine
Yellow pine
Yellow pine may refer to the following:*Certain pines in the subgenus Pinus subgenus Pinus:**In American forestry, a term for several closely related species of pine with yellow tinted wood, including the Southern Yellow Pines , and the non-Southern yellow pines and several others...
forests and Great Basin juniper
Juniperus occidentalis
Juniperus occidentalis is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 m .-Description:...
scrub, in dry, gravelly basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic soil. It is usually associated with sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata
Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...
, being a hemiparasite of that plant. Its elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
al range is from 4,575 to 7625 ft (2,324.1 m) above sea level.
Conservation Status and Threats
California Native Plant SocietyCalifornia Native Plant Society
The California Native Plant Society is a California not-for-profit organization that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve that flora. Its "paramount purpose is to preserve wild plants".-History:...
List 2.2.
NatureServe
NatureServe
NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems in...
Global Rank: G4
The threats facing Yaquima bird's-beak are not known at present.