Cordylanthus pilosus
Hairy bird's beak
(c) Chris Conard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cordylanthus pilosus (Hairy bird's beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family.
Hairy bird's beak is a California native annual herb found in grasslands and open woodlands, typically growing at moderate elevations. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces white flowers with yellow-green tips and subtle maroon markings, emerging in loose clusters of one to three blossoms. Growing with erect stems 20 to 120 centimeters tall, the plant appears gray-green and often tinged with purple, covered in dense soft hairs that give it a distinctively fuzzy texture. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, measuring 10 to 40 millimeters long, with outer bracts that can reach 15 to 20 millimeters and sometimes have three-lobed tips. The seeds are small, dark brown, and finely textured with wavy striations.
Habitat and range
California counties: Orange, Santa Clara, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, Yolo, Colusa, Tehama, Sonoma, Sutter, Contra Costa, Mendocino, San Joaquin, Plumas, Lake, Mariposa, Trinity, San Mateo, Tuolumne
How to tell it apart
vs Dicranostegia: Cordylanthus has flowers in short dense spikes under 2cm; Dicranostegia has flowers scattered singly along stem.; vs Castilleja: Cordylanthus has closed hood with rolled lower lip; Castilleja has open beak without rolled lip.; vs Dittrichia: Cordylanthus has tubular two-lipped flowers; Dittrichia has yellow daisy flowers with many ray petals.; vs Chloropyron: Cordylanthus has palmately divided leaves; Chloropyron has succulent undivided leaves in salt marsh habitat.; vs Deinandra: Cordylanthus has tubular two-lipped flowers; Deinandra has yellow daisy flowers with notched ray petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cordylanthus pilosus native to California?
Yes. Cordylanthus pilosus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Cordylanthus pilosus grow?
Cordylanthus pilosus occurs in Orange, Santa Clara, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, Yolo, Colusa, Tehama and other counties.
What plant family does Cordylanthus pilosus belong to?
Cordylanthus pilosus is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Cordylanthus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
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.