Habit: Annual, gray- or yellow-green, often becoming red-purple, generally much-branched; roots +- yellow.
Leaf: sessile, entire, thread-like to lanceolate or palmately 3--7-lobed, segments narrow.
Inflorescence: short dense spike (subtended by bracts), < 2(5) cm or flowers 1, scattered or often clustered but not in spikes (each subtended by outer bract); outer bracts +- leaf-like; inner bract calyx-like (formerly confused with calyx), 0--7-lobed.
Flower: calyx sheath-like, generally divided to base abaxially, partially surrounding corolla tube laterally, tip entire or shallowly notched; corolla club-shaped, tubular proximally, expanded laterally; upper corolla lip folded lengthwise, tip rounded, closed, opening directed downwards forming a hood enclosing anthers, style; lower corolla lip <= upper lip, obscurely 3-lobed, middle lobe tightly rolled under, tip distinctly folded inside-out; fertile stamens (2)4, anther sacs generally 2 per stamen, densely hairy at both ends and ciliate along line of dehiscence, unequal in size and placement; style bent near tip, stigma barely exserted.
Seed: attached at side; seed coat tight-fitting, netted or irregularly striate.
Species In Genus: 13 species: western North America.
Etymology: (Greek: club-shaped flower)
Note: Close to
Orthocarpus, distinguished by inflorescence, calyx, stamens; generally flowers Jul--Sep. Other taxa in TJM (1993) moved to
Chloropyron,
Dicranostegia.
Jepson eFlora Author: Margriet Wetherwax & David C. Tank
Reference: Tank et al. 2009 Syst Bot 34:182--197
Unabridged Reference: Chuang & Heckard 1986 Syst Bot Monogr 10:1--105; Tank & Olmstead 2008 Amer J Bot 95:608--625Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Cordylanthus
Previous taxon: Chloropyron tecopenseNext taxon: Cordylanthus capitatus