Taxon Report
Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. pallescens (Penn.) Chuang & Heckardpallid bird's-beak |
 ©2018 Sierra Pacific Industries |
Taxon Summary
Cordylanthus tenuis ssp. pallescens, commonly known as pallid bird's-beak, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest (gravelly, and volcanic alluvium), growing at elevations from 695 to 1645 meters. Cordylanthus tenuis ssp. pallescens is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. pallescens (Penn.) Chuang & Heckard |
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Common Name: |
pallid bird's-beak |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Element Code: | PDSCR0J0S3 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | COTEP2 |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | annual herb (hemiparasitic) |
| Blooming Period: Jul-Sep | Jul-Sep |
| Elevation: | 695-1645 (2280-5395) |
| General Habitats: | Lower montane coniferous forest |
| Microhabitat: | |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G4G5T1 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCSC; USFS_S |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 18 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 2 |
| Good (B) | 4 |
| Fair (C) | 6 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 6 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Siskiyou (SIS) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| City of Mount Shasta (4112233), Hotlum (4112243), Mt. Shasta (4112242), Weed (4112244) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 10 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 9 | 50 % | |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 8 | 44% |
| Biocides | 7 | 38% |
| Logging | 6 | 33% |
| Development | 3 | 16% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 3 | 16% |
| Other | 2 | 11% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 1 | 5% |
| ORV activity | 1 | 5% |
| Grazing | 1 | 5% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 1 | 5% |
Notes
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Threats: |
| Threatened by development and road maintenance. |
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Taxonomy: |
| Intergrades with ssp. tenuis and ssp. viscidus; core populations of ssp. pallescens should be prioritized for conservation. See Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 99(7):197-198 (1947) for original description, Systematic Botany Monographs 10:50-62 (1986) for taxonomic treatment, and Madroño 61(1):64-76 (2014) for taxonomic treatment and discussion of management. |
Selected References
| Cordylanthus tenuis ssp. pallescens account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2020) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 6 November 2025].