Orcuttia viscida

Orcuttia viscida is a rare species of grass known by the common name Sacramento Orcutt grass.

Orcuttia viscida

Endangered (ESA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Orcuttia
Species:
O. viscida
Binomial name
Orcuttia viscida
(Hoover) J.Reeder

Distribution

It is endemic to Sacramento County, California, where it grows only in vernal pools, a rare and declining type of habitat. As of 1997, two of the nine known populations had been extirpated as habitat has been consumed for urban development, and it was federally listed as an endangered species.[1]

Since its listing, one additional occurrence of the plant has been discovered, for a total of eight extant populations.[2]

Description

Orcuttia viscida is a small, hairy, aromatic annual grass forming sticky, glandular tufts up to 10 or 15 centimeters in maximum height. The inflorescence is a small, crowded cluster of spikelets with awned tips that curve outward at maturity, giving the spikes a bristly appearance.[1]

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References
  1. USFWS. Determination of endangered status for three plants and threatened status for five plants from vernal pools in the Central Valley of California. Federal Register March 26, 1997.
  2. USFWS. Final designation of critical habitat for four vernal pool crustaceans and eleven vernal pool plants in California and southern Oregon. Federal Register August 6, 2003.
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