Point Reyes bird’s-beak is a halophytic annual 10-20 (-30) cm tall, simple or sparingly branched with ascending lateral branches equal to or shorter than the central spike. The herbage is grayish green to glaucous, often purplish tinged, and villous to glabrescent. Leaves are oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 1-2.5 cm long and 0.3-0.7 cm wide, with a blunt to pointed apex. Flowers are arranged in dense spikes with oblong floral bracts bearing a pair of short teeth near the apex. The corolla is 1.8-2.5 cm long, the lower lip and pouch suffused with pinkish to purplish red, the galea pale cream to white. Capsules produce 10-20 seeds that are 0.2-0.3 cm long.
Overview
Species Common Name Point Reyes bird's-beak
Species Scientific NameChloropyron maritimum ssp. palustre
Point Reyes bird’s-beak is found in salt marshes, particularly at salt pan edges with occasional tidal inundation.
Limiting factors
Habitat loss due to draining, filling, and land use conversion and off-highway vehicle use threaten this species. Point Reyes bird’s-beak is also threatened by pollution, invasive plants, erosion, and recreation. Habitat is very restricted and sensitive to physical disturbance. The species is extremely vulnerable to climate change because of predicted sea level rise, changes to coastal marine temperatures, and altered hydrologic regimes.
Data gaps
Study the effects of pollution on Point Reyes bird’s-beak. Develop methods for germination, propagation, and reintroduction. Assess population trends.
Conservation actions
Manage off-highway vehicle use at known sites of occurrence. Protect salt marsh habitat. Collect and store seeds.
