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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.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~296 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
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 + CNPSCordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis
Information about  Chloropyron molle ssp. molle from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

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ID Tips on PlantID.net

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.

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: 07/17/2025).