Taxon Report

Cordylanthus eremicus (Cov. & Mort.) Munz ssp. eremicus

desert bird's-beak

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Cordylanthus eremicus ssp. eremicus, commonly known as desert bird's-beak, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1000 to 3000 meters. Cordylanthus eremicus ssp. eremicus is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cordylanthus eremicus (Cov. & Mort.) Munz ssp. eremicus
Common Name:	desert bird's-beak
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0J042
USDA Plants Symbol:	COERE2
Synonyms/Other Names:	Cordylanthus bernardinus Munz

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Jul-Oct	Jul-Oct
Elevation:	1000-3000 (3280-9845)
General Habitats:	Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G3T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Kern (KRN), Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Centennial Canyon (3611737), China Gardens (3611725), Coso Peak (3611726), Cougar Buttes (3411647), Emigrant Pass (3611732), Fawnskin (3411638), Gold Valley (3611616), Haiwee Reservoirs (3611728), Harris Hill (3611754), Homewood Canyon (3511784), Jackass Canyon (3611755), Louisiana Butte (3611715), Lucerne Valley (3411648), Manly Fall (3511782), Manly Peak (3511781), Maturango Peak (3611714), Mormon Point (3611617), Mountain Springs Canyon (3511785), Onyx Peak (3411626), Owens Peak (3511768), Panamint (3611711), Petroglyph Canyon (3611716), Telescope Peak (3611721), Upper Centennial Flat (3611727), Wildrose Peak (3611731), Yucca Valley South (3411614)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Includes C. bernardinus. See Systematic Botany Monographs 10:89-92 (1986) for revised taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 11 September 2025].