Chloropyron maritimum subsp. palustre

Point reyes salty bird's-beak, Point Reyes Salty Bird's-Beak

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Point reyes salty bird's-beak is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in northern Coast Ranges including Humboldt, Marin, and Sonoma counties in coastal salt marshes at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces small white to pale yellow flowers in dense, compact spikes with inner bracts slightly notched at the tips. Growing with few ascending branches around a central spike, it reaches a compact size typical of salt marsh adaptations. Its leaves are slender and closely arranged along the stems, contributing to the plant's delicate and distinctive marsh habitat profile. The plant produces 10 to 20 small seeds, each 2 to 3 millimeters long, which help ensure its survival in the challenging coastal salt marsh environment.

Habitat: Coastal salt marsh

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: < 10 m

Bioregions: n NCo (Humboldt Co.), n CCo (Marin, Sonoma cos.)

California counties: Marin, Humboldt, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.