Cordylanthus mollis
Encyclopedia
Cordylanthus mollis is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family
known by the common name soft bird's beak.
It is endemic to California
, where it is known in coastal and inland salt marsh
es in the Central Valley, particularly the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
are rare, one treated as a federally listed endangered species
. In general this is a grayish or purplish green annual coated in long whitish hairs, sometimes bristly and glandular. The woolly inflorescence
is a spike of club-shaped white flowers enclosed in densely hairy sepal
s.
Subspecies Cordylanthus mollis ssp. hispidus, the hispid bird's beak, grows in alkaline and saline soils of marshes and playa
s in scattered locations throughout the Central Valley. Most of its habitat in the southern valley has been turned over for agriculture
, leading to the extirpation
of most of its populations there. The even less common C. m ssp. mollis is known only from the coastal salt marshes and swamps of the inner Bay Area
and Delta. It is federally listed as an endangered species.
Threats to the survival of this subspecies include the invasive marsh plant Spartina patens, and destruction of its native habitat by erosion
and drainage of the marshland.
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...
known by the common name soft bird's beak.
It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known in coastal and inland salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es in the Central Valley, particularly the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Subspecies
Both subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
are rare, one treated as a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. In general this is a grayish or purplish green annual coated in long whitish hairs, sometimes bristly and glandular. The woolly inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a spike of club-shaped white flowers enclosed in densely hairy sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s.
Subspecies Cordylanthus mollis ssp. hispidus, the hispid bird's beak, grows in alkaline and saline soils of marshes and playa
Sink (geography)
A geographic sink is a depression within an endorheic basin where water collects with no visible outlet. Instead of discharging, the collected water is lost due to evaporation and/or penetration...
s in scattered locations throughout the Central Valley. Most of its habitat in the southern valley has been turned over for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, leading to the extirpation
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
of most of its populations there. The even less common C. m ssp. mollis is known only from the coastal salt marshes and swamps of the inner Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and Delta. It is federally listed as an endangered species.
Threats to the survival of this subspecies include the invasive marsh plant Spartina patens, and destruction of its native habitat by erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and drainage of the marshland.