Chloropyron molle ssp. molle Calflora

Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit

Taxon Report

Chloropyron molle (A. Gray) A. Heller ssp. molle

Soft bird's-beak

Chloropyron molle ssp. molle is an annual herb that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.

also called Cordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis

California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).

State of California status: Rare. Federal status: Endangered.


	Plant Range Observation Search ~295 records in California Plant Characteristics one or more occurrences within a 7.5-minute quadrangle

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Parent:	Chloropyron molle
Genus:	Chloropyron
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs in wetlands

Habitat: salt-marsh, coastal

Communities: Coastal Salt Marsh, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS

Alternate Names:


JEF + CNPS	Cordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis

Information about Chloropyron molle ssp. molle from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX Commercial availability unknown. Jepson eFlora Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape CNPS Inventory: 1B.2 Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
Chloropyron molle ssp. molle: It is a hemi-parasitic plant that gets part of its nutritional needs from host plants including Distichlis spicata, or salt grass, and Salicornia spp., or pickleweed. Chloropyron etymology:: from the roots chloros, meaning "green" or "greenish-yellow," and the roots pyr- or pyros, possibly meaning "divine," "fire," or "grain," of unknown application. The genus Chloropyron was published by Hans Hermann Behr in 1805. photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 04/17/2025).