Chloropyron maritimum
Salt marsh bird's beak
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Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Chloropyron maritimum (Salt marsh bird's beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by 8 congeners; 4 fertile stamens, entire lance-linear leaves, glaucous salt-encrusted gray-green herbage of coastal salt marsh (and….
Salt marsh bird's beak is a California native annual found in coastal salt marshes at low elevations near the Pacific Ocean. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white to cream flowers with pale to purplish-red lips, arranged in dense spikes 20 to 90 millimeters long. Growing with gray-green, often purple-tinged stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall that are frequently salt-encrusted and short-hairy, it has a delicate and distinctive coastal appearance. Its narrow lance-linear leaves measure 5 to 25 millimeters long and remain entire, blending subtly with the plant's maritime habitat. The small seeds are deeply netted and dark brown, reflecting the plant's specialized adaptation to saline environments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 congeners; 4 fertile stamens, entire lance-linear leaves, glaucous salt-encrusted gray-green herbage of coastal salt marsh (and alkaline GB/DMoj flats)
Habitat and range
California counties: San Diego, Inyo, Santa Clara, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Santa Barbara
How to tell it apart
vs Castilleja: Leaves completely unlobed and smooth-edged, not lobed or divided.; vs Cordylanthus: Found exclusively in saline or alkaline habitats like salt marshes.; vs Cressa: Has typical Orobanchaceae hooded flowers, not small white tubular Convolvulaceae blooms.; vs Triphysaria: Calyx barely notched at tip (~1 mm), not deeply divided.; vs Orthocarpus: Leaves entirely unlobed, not lobed or divided in any way.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chloropyron maritimum native to California?
Yes. Chloropyron maritimum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Chloropyron maritimum grow?
Chloropyron maritimum occurs in San Diego, Inyo, Santa Clara, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Santa Barbara.
What plant family does Chloropyron maritimum belong to?
Chloropyron maritimum is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Chloropyron.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. canescens
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. maritimum — Salt marsh bird's-beak
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. palustre — Point reyes salty bird's-beak
- Chloropyron molle — Soft bird's beak
- Chloropyron molle subsp. hispidum — Hispid salty bird's-beak
- Chloropyron molle subsp. molle — Soft salty bird's-beak
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.