Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens
Pallid bird's-beak, Pallid Bird's-Beak
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens (Pallid bird's-beak) is a native California herb in the Orobanchaceae family, recognized by volcanic habitat and short inner bract hairs diagnostic.
Pallid bird's-beak is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the Black Butte area of northern California's Cascade Range Highlands in open volcanic alluvium at elevations of 900 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces pale flowers in small clusters of 3 to 6 blossoms with delicate, loosely arranged stems. Growing with slender, weakly glandular stems that are generally puberulent and long-hairy, it reaches a modest height with an upright, thin structure. Its leaves are distinctively linear, creating a sparse and elongated appearance along the stem. The flower's corolla ranges from 10 to 15 millimeters long, with outer bracts that are three-lobed and inner bract hairs less than 1 millimeter in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; volcanic habitat and short inner bract hairs diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open volcanic alluvium
Elevation: 900-1200 m
Bloom period
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens blooms Jun-Sep.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
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 tenuis subsp. pallescens native to California?
Yes. Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens bloom?
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens blooms Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens belong to?
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens is in the Orobanchaceae family, genus Cordylanthus.
Is Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens rare or endangered?
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S1.
What habitat does Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens grow in?
Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. pallescens grows in Open volcanic alluvium.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. tenuis
- Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. viscidus
- 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
- Dicranostegia orcuttiana — Orcutt's bird's-beak
- Dicranostegia sp.
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.