| 1. Lateral leaf lobes 810, paired; calyx << 1/2 corolla, divided > 1/2; anther sacs 2, widely separated (subg. Dicranostegia) |
| C. orcuttianus |
| 1' Leaf entire to ± palmately 37-lobed; calyx generally entire to divided ± 1/3 in back, ± = corolla; anther sacs 1 (or if 2, ± overlapping) |
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| 2. Leaf ± oblong to lanceolate, entire; inflorescence a spike, 20150 mm; middle lobe of lower corolla lip erect, not rolled under; saline or alkaline places (subg. Hemistegia) |
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| 3. Stamens 4; inner bract entire or notched |
| C. maritimus |
| 4. Inner bract generally entire; seeds 2540, 11.5 mm; inland |
| subsp. canescens |
| 4' Inner bract notched; seeds 1020, 23 mm; generally coastal |
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| 5. Stem generally much-branched, upper branches > central spike; seeds ± 2 mm; South Coast |
| subsp. maritimus |
| 5' Stem few-branched, branches < or = central spike; seeds 23 mm; North Coast, Central Coast |
| subsp. palustris |
| 3' Stamens 2; inner bract 37-lobed |
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| 6. Leaf 12 mm wide; inner bract 3-lobed; style puberulent |
| C. tecopensis |
| 6' Leaf 38 mm wide; inner bract 37-lobed; style glabrous |
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| 7. Plant soft-hairy (or becoming glabrous), longest hairs < 1 mm; seed coat deeply netted, wavy-crested |
| C. palmatus |
| 7' Plant (especially inflorescence) stiff-hairy, longest hairs > 1 mm; seed coat netted, not wavy-crested |
| C. mollis |
| 8. Plant bristly; stem much-branched from near base; inflorescence generally 26 cm; corolla pouch and tube sparsely tomentose; seed 11.5 mm; Great Central Valley |
| subsp. hispidus |
| 8' Plant generally ± soft-hairy; stem few-branched from middle; inflorescence 515 cm; corolla pouch and tube densely tomentose; seed 23 mm; n Central Coast |
| subsp. mollis |
| 2' Leaf thread-like to linear, entire to subpalmately 7-lobed; inflorescence a spike < 20 mm or flowers solitary (but often clustered); middle lobe of lower corolla lip tightly rolled under; nonsaline places (subg. Cordylanthus) |
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| 9. Corolla > 3 × longer than wide; seed (shallowly) netted; especially Great Basin Floristic Province and Desert in sagebrush or juniper scrub |
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| 10. Calyx divided to base; corolla ± dusty yellow |
| C. ramosus |
| 10' Calyx tube 14 mm; corolla generally pink to maroon (yellowish) |
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| 11. Stamens 2; calyx tip divided < 1/3 Modoc Plateau |
| C. capitatus |
| 11' Stamens 4; calyx tip shallowly notched |
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| 12. Plant canescent, not glandular-sticky; outer bracts 37-lobed |
| C. eremicus |
| 13. Outer bracts sparsely scabrous, tips slightly wider, with maroon thickening |
| subsp. eremicus |
| 13' Outer bracts distinctly bristly, tips acute, unmarked |
| subsp. kernensis |
| 12' Plant densely glandular-sticky; outer bracts generally 3- or 5-lobed |
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| 14. Inflorescence a short spike; corolla lips ± equal; inner bract pinnately lobed; s Modoc Plateau, East of Sierra Nevada |
| C. kingii subsp. helleri |
| 14' Flowers solitary, scattered; lower corolla lip << upper; inner bract generally entire; e Desert Mountains |
| C. parviflorus |
| 9' Corolla 23 × longer than wide; seed finely wavy-striate; especially California Floristic Province in foothill woodland |
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| 15. Outer bracts fan-shaped, shallowly 37-lobed; inner bract and calyx tips rough-papillate; corolla < 10 mm, pouch sides yellow serpentine, North Coast Ranges |
| C. pringlei |
| 15' Outer bracts entire to deeply 3-lobed; inner bract scabrous to puberulent; corolla 1020 mm, pouch sides ± white |
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| 16. Anther sac 1 (+ bearded vestige) per stamen; calyx tube ± 1 mm; outer bracts 3-lobed, << flower Southwestern California |
| C. nevinii |
| 16' Anther sacs 2 per stamen; calyx generally divided to base (except C. rigidus); outer bracts entire or 3-lobed, generally = or > flower |
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| 17. Plant ± bristly (except subsp. littoralis); flowers solitary but densely clustered in 515-flowered heads; calyx tube < 2 mm; corolla maroon in U-shape on lower side |
| C. rigidus |
| 18. Outer bract << flower, generally 510 mm, middle lobe oblong sw Sierra Nevada |
| subsp. brevibracteatus |
| 18' Outer bract generally > flower, 1520 mm, middle lobe linear to lanceolate |
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| 19. Middle lobe of outer bract linear, tip wider, notched, maroon-thickened, marginal bristles > 2 × lobe width Southwestern California |
| subsp. setigerus |
| 19' Middle lobe of outer bract generally ± lanceolate, tip not wider (or ± truncate and green-, whitish-, or faintly maroon-thickened) marginal bristles ± = lobe width |
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| 20. Plant puberulent or soft-hairy; outer bract weakly ciliate and puberulent, tip of middle lobe tapered; dunes, c&s Central Coast |
| subsp. littoralis |
| 20' Plant bristly; outer bracts scabrous, tip of middle lobe parallel-sided or widening; especially chaparral and woodland, c&s Sierra Nevada, c&s Central Western California, Western Transverse Ranges |
| subsp. rigidus |
| 17' Plant soft-hairy or becoming glabrous; flowers solitary but generally in ± loose 17-flowered clusters; calyx divided to base; corolla streaked or blotched maroon |
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| 21. Stem decumbent, branches ascending < 15 cm; outer bracts 3-lobed near base serpentine, ne San Francisco Bay Area |
| C. nidularius |
| 21' Stem erect, branches ascending generally > 20 cm; outer bracts entire or 3-lobed in upper 2/3 |
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| 22. Main stem densely long-soft-hairy; tips of outer bracts (or middle lobes) > 1.5 mm wide, longest hairs 23 mm; corolla barely marked maroon |
| C. pilosus |
| 23. Outer bracts entire (tip wider, obtuse to 2-notched); North Coast Ranges, n San Francisco Bay Area |
| subsp. pilosus |
| 23' Outer bracts 3-lobed; Cascade Range Foothills, n&c Sierra Nevada Foothills |
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| 24. Outer bracts lobed in upper 1/3, lateral lobes < 3 mm; corolla = or > calyx and inner bract |
| subsp. hansenii |
| 24' Outer bracts lobed in lower 1/2; lateral lobes > 3 mm; corolla < calyx and inner bract |
| subsp. trifidus |
| 22' Main stem ± glabrous to sparsely stiff-hairy or ± glandular; tips of outer bracts (or middle lobes) < 1.5 mm wide, longest hairs < 2 mm; corolla heavily blotched maroon |
| C. tenuis |
| 25. Stem glabrous or minutely puberulent; leaves (or lobes) thread-like, tightly folded up, generally ± glabrous; serpentine outcrops s North Coast Ranges |
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| 26. Outer bracts entire; stems minutely and sparsely glandular, especially below flowers |
| subsp. brunneus |
| 26' Outer bracts 3-lobed; stems ± glabrous (not glandular below flowers) sw Outer North Coast Ranges |
| subsp. capillaris |
| 25' Stem generally puberulent and stiff-hairy (or sticky); leaves (or lobes) linear to ± oblong, flat to channeled, puberulent and generally glandular; generally not serpentine |
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| 27. Flowers 37 in dense clusters; outer bracts generally 3-lobed, densely soft-hairy; longest hairs of inner bract > 2 mm; s Sierra Nevada Foothills |
| subsp. barbatus |
| 27' Flowers 16 in loose clusters; outer bracts entire or 3-lobed, ± stiff-hairy; longest hairs of inner bract < 1 mm |
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| 28. Outer bracts entire; Sierra Nevada |
| subsp. tenuis |
| 28' Outer bracts 3-lobed; n California |
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| 29. Bracts and calyx yellow-green, puberulent, weakly glandular; flowers generally 36 per cluster High Cascade Range |
| subsp. pallescens |
| 29' Bracts and calyx green or maroon-tinged, glandular, puberulent and with long, stiff hairs; flowers 13 per cluster |
| subsp. viscidus
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