Taxon Report

Cordylanthus rigidus (Benth.) Jeps. ssp. littoralis (Ferris) Chuang & Heckard

seaside bird's-beak

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis, commonly known as seaside bird's-beak, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral (maritime), Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal dunes, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 0 to 515 meters. Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cordylanthus rigidus (Benth.) Jeps. ssp. littoralis (Ferris) Chuang & Heckard
Common Name:	seaside bird's-beak
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0J0P2
USDA Plants Symbol:	CORIL
Synonyms/Other Names:	Cordylanthus littoralis ssp. littoralis

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Apr-Oct	Apr-Oct
Elevation:	0-515 (0-1690)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal dunes, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:	Disturbed areas (often), Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	CE
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	40
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	7
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	2
Unknown (U)	28

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT), Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Casmalia (3412075), Lompoc (3412064), Lompoc Hills (3412054), Los Alamos (3412063), Marina (3612167)*, Monterey (3612158), Moss Landing (3612177), Orcutt (3412074), Prunedale (3612176), Salinas (3612166), Santa Rosa Hills (3412053), Santa Ynez (3412051), Seaside (3612157), Soberanes Point (3612148), Spreckels (3612156), Surf (3412065)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	8
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	12	30 %
Development	5	12%
Road/trail construction/maint.	4	10%
Other	2	5%
Non-native plant impacts	2	5%
ORV activity	1	2%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	2%
Mining	1	2%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	2%

Notes



See Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 45:399-423 (1918) for original description, and Systematic Botany Monographs 10:35-48 (1986) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Threatened by development, energy projects, road widening, vehicles, and military operations. Possibly threatened by non-native plants.
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 28 October 2025].