Cordylanthus pringlei
Pringle's bird's beak
(c) Nicholas Wei, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nicholas Wei · licence
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cordylanthus pringlei (Pringle's bird's beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by yellow mottled flowers and fan-shaped bracts diagnostic.
Pringle's bird's beak is a California native annual found in northern California Coast Ranges in open dry serpentine areas within chaparral and mixed-evergreen forest at elevations of 300 to 1,850 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow flowers mottled with maroon, clustered in small groups of two to four with distinctive fan-shaped outer bracts. Growing 30 to 150 centimeters tall with a green stem lightly tinged with maroon, the plant has a slender, delicate appearance. Its leaves are thread-like, measuring 10 to 40 millimeters long with zero to three subtle lobes, giving the plant a minimalist, sparse foliage structure. The seeds are dark brown, approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, with a fine wavy-striate surface that adds textural interest to the plant's reproductive cycle.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; yellow mottled flowers and fan-shaped bracts diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open dry serpentine in chaparral and mixed-evergreen forest
Elevation: 300-1850 m
Bloom period
Cordylanthus pringlei blooms Jul-Sep.
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 pringlei native to California?
Yes. Cordylanthus pringlei is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cordylanthus pringlei bloom?
Cordylanthus pringlei blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Cordylanthus pringlei belong to?
Cordylanthus pringlei is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Cordylanthus.
What habitat does Cordylanthus pringlei grow in?
Cordylanthus pringlei grows in Open dry serpentine in chaparral and mixed-evergreen forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.