Taxon Report

Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. pallescens (Penn.) Chuang & Heckard

pallid bird's-beak

Print Report

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


Scientific Name:	Cordylanthus tenuis Gray ssp. pallescens (Penn.) Chuang & Heckard
Common Name:	pallid bird's-beak
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0J0S3
USDA Plants Symbol:	COTEP2
Synonyms/Other Names:	Cordylanthus pallescens

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
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCSC; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

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

Location


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



Threatened by development and road maintenance. 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 disussion of management.*
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

USFS Potential Species of Conservation Concern Profile

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].