Orcuttia californica

California orcutt grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

California orcutt grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern California coastal, western Transverse Range, San Gabriel Mountains, and Peninsular Range bioregions in vernal pools at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from April to August, this delicate grass produces small pale flowers in compact, crowded spikelets toward the tip of its inflorescence. Growing prostrate and sometimes forming low mats 5 to 15 centimeters long, it has thin stems with distinctive leaf blades 1 to 2 centimeters long and 2 to 3 millimeters wide. Its leaves feature a subtle separation between sheath and blade visible when dry, with each spikelet containing 5 to 15 florets. The tiny fruit is narrowly elliptic, measuring 1.5 to 2 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Vernal pools

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: < 700 m

Bioregions: SCo, WTR, SnGb, PR

California counties: Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Diego, Glenn, Sacramento, San Benito, Stanislaus, Madera

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