''Cordylanthus nidularius'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family

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

known by the common name Mt. Diablo bird's beak.Jepson eFlora: ''Cordylanthus nidularius''
/ref>

Distribution

The plant is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Mount Diablo Mount Diablo is a mountain of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. It is south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most of ...

, in the northern

Diablo Range The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley ...

within

Contra Costa County ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

, in the East Bay region of northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. Calflora: ''Cordylanthus nidularius''
/ref> It grows in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterrane ...

habitats and only on serpentine soils, at elevations of .

Description

''Cordylanthus nidularius'' is a small

annual Annual may refer to: * Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual * Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

. 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 Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

is a purple-streaked white pouch enclosed in a

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s. The bloom period is during July and August.

Conservation

This is a state and

California Native Plant Society The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California environmental non-profit organization (501(c)3) that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve it for future generations. The mission of CNPS is to con ...

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. California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): ''Cordylanthus nidularius''
. accessed 9.21.2016.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Cordylanthus nidularius'' (Mt. Diablo bird's beak)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Cordylanthus nidularius''USDA Plants ProfileU.C. Photos gallery: ''Cordylanthus nidularius'' images
nidularius Endemic flora of California Mount Diablo Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of Contra Costa County, California Critically endangered flora of California Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area {{Orobanchaceae-stub