Chloropyron tecopense
Tecopa salty bird's-beak, Tecopa Salty Bird's-Beak
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Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Chloropyron tecopense (Tecopa salty bird's-beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by flower color and style indument diagnostic.
Tecopa salty bird's-beak is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada and northern Mojave Desert in alkaline meadows and flats at elevations of 100 to 900 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces pale lavender flowers in loose spikes 20 to 150 millimeters long with distinctive three-lobed bracts. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with a grayish or purple-tinged appearance, the plant has a somewhat glaucous and sparsely hairy stem. Its narrow lance-linear leaves measure 5 to 15 millimeters long and 1 to 2 millimeters wide, remaining entirely unserrated. The plant's seeds are light brown, approximately 2 to 3 millimeters long with a deeply netted, kidney-like shape.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; flower color and style indument diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Alkaline meadows and flats
Elevation: 100-900 m
Outside California: western Nevada
Bloom period
Chloropyron tecopense blooms Aug-Oct.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
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 tecopense native to California?
Yes. Chloropyron tecopense is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chloropyron tecopense bloom?
Chloropyron tecopense blooms Aug-Oct.
What plant family does Chloropyron tecopense belong to?
Chloropyron tecopense is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Chloropyron.
Is Chloropyron tecopense rare or endangered?
Chloropyron tecopense carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S1.
What habitat does Chloropyron tecopense grow in?
Chloropyron tecopense grows in Alkaline meadows and flats.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Chloropyron molle — Soft bird's beak
- Chloropyron molle subsp. hispidum — Hispid salty bird's-beak
- Cordylanthus capitatus — Yakima bird's-beak
- Cordylanthus eremicus — Desert bird's beak
- Cordylanthus eremicus subsp. eremicus — Desert bird's-beak
- Cordylanthus eremicus subsp. kernensis — Kern plateau 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.