Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. brunneus

Serpentine bird's-beak, Serpentine Bird's-Beak

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Serpentine bird's-beak is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges in Lake, Sonoma, and Napa counties, occurring in serpentine mixed-evergreen forest and chaparral at elevations generally below 1,350 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces delicate flowers approximately 12 to 15 millimeters long with subtle coloration. Growing with slender stems that are sparsely glandular-hairy, especially near the flower clusters, it reaches a modest height with a delicate, thread-like appearance. Its leaves are exceptionally narrow, thread-like, and typically folded or channeled, creating a distinctive thread-like profile across the plant. The flower clusters are loosely arranged, containing one to four individual flowers with entire, thread-like outer bracts.

Habitat: Serpentine in mixed-evergreen forest, chaparral

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: generally < 1350 m

Bioregions: s NCoR (Lake, Sonoma, Napa cos.).

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