Orcuttia tenuis

Slender orcutt grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Threatened

Slender orcutt grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in northern California inland ranges, Sacramento Valley, and northern California mountains in vernal pools at elevations of 200 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from May to October, this delicate grass produces small white to pale green flowers in sparse, slender spikes about 5 to 10 centimeters long. Growing with generally erect stems 5 to 15 centimeters tall, often branching in the upper portion and sometimes forming weak clusters, it has a sparsely hairy appearance. Its narrow leaf blades measure approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide, with spikelets containing 5 to 20 individual florets. The mature fruits are narrowly oblong, measuring around 3 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Vernal pools

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: 200-1100 m

Bioregions: NCoRI (Lake Co.), CaR, ScV, MP.

California counties: Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Lake, Sacramento, Butte, Plumas, Modoc

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