Taxon Report

Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. brunneus (Jeps.) Munz

serpentine bird's-beak

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Cordylanthus tenuis ssp. brunneus, commonly known as serpentine bird's-beak, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, and Closed-cone coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 305 to 915 meters. Cordylanthus tenuis ssp. brunneus is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. brunneus (Jeps.) Munz
Common Name:	serpentine bird's-beak
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0J0S1
USDA Plants Symbol:	COTEB
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Jul-Aug	Jul-Aug
Elevation:	305-915 (1000-3000)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Serpentine (usually)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4G5T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
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)
Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Lake (LAK), Mendocino (MEN), Napa (NAP), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Aetna Springs (3812264), Camp Meeker (3812248), Chiles Valley (3812253), Clearlake Highlands (3812286), Comptche (3912335), Detert Reservoir (3812265), Geyserville (3812268), Jericho Valley (3812274), Kelseyville (3812287), Kenwood (3812245), Knoxville (3812273), Lodoga (3912234), Mount St. Helena (3812266), Navarro (3912325), St. Helena (3812254), Stonyford (3912245), The Geysers (3812277), Whispering Pines (3812276)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Threatened by development and road maintenance. See Systematic Botany Monographs 10:50-62 (1986) for 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].