Chloropyron palmatum
Palmate salty bird's-beak, Palmate Salty Bird's-Beak
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered
Chloropyron palmatum (Palmate salty bird's-beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by seed morphology and texture diagnostic.
Palmate salty bird's-beak is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the Great Valley bioregion, specifically in Colusa, Yolo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Madera, and Fresno counties, inhabiting alkaline flats at elevations below 60 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces predominantly white flowers with pale lavender sides, 15 to 20 millimeters long, emerging from dense spike-like inflorescences. Growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall with a gray-green appearance, the plant has soft, glandular stems that become increasingly glabrous with maturity. Its leaves measure 7 to 20 millimeters long, ranging from entire to 5-lobed and roughly oblong in shape. The seeds are small, about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, with a distinctive reniform shape and deeply netted, wavy-crested dark brown surface.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; seed morphology and texture diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Alkaline flats
Elevation: < 60 m
California counties: Fresno, Colusa, Madera, Yolo
Bloom period
Chloropyron palmatum blooms Jun-Aug.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered
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 palmatum native to California?
Yes. Chloropyron palmatum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chloropyron palmatum bloom?
Chloropyron palmatum blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Chloropyron palmatum grow?
Chloropyron palmatum occurs in Fresno, Colusa, Madera, Yolo, at elevations of < 60 m.
What plant family does Chloropyron palmatum belong to?
Chloropyron palmatum is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Chloropyron.
Is Chloropyron palmatum rare or endangered?
Chloropyron palmatum carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.1, state rank S1.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Chloropyron sp. — Salty bird's-beak
- Chloropyron tecopense — Tecopa salty bird's-beak
- Chloropyron maritimum — Salt marsh bird's beak
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. canescens
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. maritimum — Salt marsh bird's-beak
- Chloropyron maritimum subsp. palustre — Point reyes salty bird's-beak
- Cordylanthus capitatus — Yakima bird's-beak
- Cordylanthus eremicus — Desert bird's beak
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.