''Chloropyron maritimum'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family (biology), family of mostly parasitic plants of the order (biology), order Lamiales, with about 90 genus, genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ...

native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It is known by the common names saltmarsh bird's beak and Point Reyes bird's beak, depending on the specific

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

Taxonomy

It was formerly classified as ''Cordylanthus maritimus'', but is now considered to be in the genus '' Chloropyron''. There are three subspecies described: ''Chloropyron maritimum'' ssp. ''maritimum'', ''C. maritimum'' ssp. ''canescens'', and ''C. maritimum'' ssp. ''palustre''.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the Western and

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

and northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, from southern

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

. This is a halophyte which grows in areas of high salt concentrations, including coastal

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

es and the inland salt flats of the Great Basin. It is hemiparasitic, such that it is greenish and has

chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...

but also parasitizes other plants by inserting haustoria into their roots to tap nutrients.

Description

This plant grows in low clumps and has small, thick, gray-green hairy leaves often tinted with purple. It concentrates and excretes salts, giving its foliage a grainy crust. It erects an

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

several centimeters high which has many fuzz-covered white or cream club-shaped flowers with yellow or purplish tips. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a capsule containing many brown net-textured (reticulate) seeds.

Conservation

Two subspecies of this plant are considered endangered. The nominate subspecies, ''Chloropyron maritimum'' ssp. ''maritimum'', is listed as endangered by the State of California and the United States Government, and is considered a ''Critically Imperiled'' subspecies by

NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...

. ''Chloropyron maritimum'' ssp. ''palustre'' (Point Reyes bird's beak) is included in the California Native Plant Society '' Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California'', and is considered an ''Imperiled'' subspecies by NatureServe.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17715355, from2=Q5170099 Orobanchaceae Halophytes Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Southwestern United States