Isoetes orcuttii

Orcutt's quillwort

Family: Isoetaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Orcutt's quillwort is a California native perennial found in the northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, central valley, central and southern coastal areas, and Peninsular Ranges in vernal pools at elevations below 1,700 meters. This delicate aquatic plant has soft, bright green leaves less than 8 centimeters long and narrower than 1 millimeter, with distinctive white to brownish bases often surrounded by black scales. Growing as a low, flexible plant with deciduous leaves that taper to slender tips, it emerges in seasonal wetlands as a small, unassuming species. Its leaves are fertile at the outermost edges, producing male and female spores of varying sizes, with female spores ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 millimeters and appearing slightly shiny. The plant transforms from an aquatic to a terrestrial state as its habitat dries, revealing its adaptable nature in ephemeral water environments.

Habitat: Vernal pools

Elevation: < 1700 m

Bioregions: NCoRI, (Howell Mtn, Napa Co.), CaR, n&ampc SNF, SNH, GV, CCo, SnFrB, SCo, PR

California counties: Shasta, Placer, San Diego, Sacramento, Riverside, Fresno, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, Yuba, Merced, Calaveras, Madera, Nevada, Marin, Butte, Tehama, Lake, Lassen, Napa, Contra Costa, Amador, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.