Yakima bird's-beak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yakima bird's-beak |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cordylanthus
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| Species: |
capitatus
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The Yakima bird's-beak (also called clustered bird's-beak) is a special plant found in the western United States. Its scientific name is Cordylanthus capitatus. It's considered an uncommon plant, meaning you don't see it everywhere.
Contents
What it Looks Like
This plant is an annual, which means it lives for only one growing season. It grows from 10 to 50 centimeters tall, which is about 4 to 20 inches. Its branches spread out wide.
The plant can be a dull blue-green color (called glaucous-green) or a grey-purple. It's covered in many tiny hairs, some of which are sticky (glandular) and some are not.
Its stems branch out a lot, like a bush. The plant's leaves on the main stem are arranged one after another. They are deeply divided into three thin, thread-like parts and are 20 to 40 millimeters long. The leaves on the smaller branches are simpler and fewer.
Its Flowers and Seeds
The flowers grow in small, head-like clusters called inflorescences. These clusters are about 15 to 20 millimeters wide. Each cluster has 2 to 4 flowers.
The flowers have special leaves called bracts around them. Some bracts are divided into three parts. Others are shaped like an oval and are purplish.
The flower's outer protective leaves, called the calyx, are purplish and 10 to 15 millimeters long. The main flower petals, called the corolla, are 10 to 20 millimeters long. They stand upright and are usually maroon (a dark reddish-purple) color. The corolla has two "lips." The upper lip is pale, whitish, with a yellow tip. The lower lip is a bit shorter.
Inside the flower are two stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. The plant's fruit is a slender, pointed seed pod called a capsule. It is 8 to 10 millimeters long. Inside the capsule, there are 4 to 6 seeds. These seeds are small, about 2 to 2.5 millimeters, and shaped a bit like a kidney. They have a slightly bumpy surface.
Where it Lives
The Yakima bird's-beak is an endemic plant. This means it naturally grows only in a specific area. Its home stretches from central Washington to western Montana and down to northeastern California.
You can find this plant on open, dry slopes and flat areas. It likes to grow in forests with yellow pine trees or in areas with juniper bushes. It especially likes dry, gravelly soil that comes from volcanic rocks called basalt.
This plant often grows near sagebrush. The Yakima bird's-beak is a hemiparasite. This means it's a plant that can make its own food, but it also gets some water and nutrients from the roots of other plants, like sagebrush. It's like it borrows a little bit of food from its neighbor!
It grows at high places, from about 4,575 to 7,625 feet (1,394 to 2,324 meters) above sea level.
Protecting This Plant
The California Native Plant Society lists this plant as List 2.2, which means it's uncommon or rare in California.
The global rank from NatureServe is G4. This means the plant is generally common, widespread, and secure, but there are some concerns about its long-term health.
Right now, scientists don't know about any major threats to the Yakima bird's-beak.
How to Spot it in Nature
If you want to find a Yakima bird's-beak, look for it when it flowers. It blooms from July to early September. Its flowers are purple.
You are most likely to find it in dry, gravelly soil that comes from volcanic rocks. Look for it within a few feet of sagebrush plants, as they often grow together.
