Cordylanthus nidularius

Cordylanthus nidularius
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Genus:	Cordylanthus
Species:	C. nidularius
Binomial name
Cordylanthus nidularius J.T.Howell

Cordylanthus nidularius is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by the common name Mt. Diablo bird's beak.

Distribution

The plant is endemic to Mount Diablo, in the northern Diablo Range within Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of northern California.

It grows in chaparral habitats and only on serpentine soils, at elevations of 600–800 metres (2,000–2,600 ft).

Description

Cordylanthus nidularius is a small annual herb. It foliage is red-tinted gray-green in color, and coated with glandular hairs and woolly fibers.

The flowers are each surrounded by 2 or 3 bracts divided into three narrow lobes up to 1.5 centimeters long. The corolla is a purple-streaked white pouch enclosed in a calyx of sepals. The bloom period is during July and August.

Conservation

This is a state and California Native Plant Society listed Critically endangered species. It is currently known from only one occurrence on Mt. Diablo, which is threatened by trail construction and recreation, and possibly by fire suppression.

External links

• Calflora Database: Cordylanthus nidularius (Mt. Diablo bird's beak)
• Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Cordylanthus nidularius
• USDA Plants Profile
• U.C. Photos gallery: Cordylanthus nidularius images