Orcuttia viscida

Sacramento orcutt grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Sacramento orcutt grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the Sacramento Valley in vernal pools at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small flowers in compact spikelets that are sticky and strongly aromatic. Growing with erect to spreading stems 3 to 10 centimeters tall, it develops a hairy, delicate structure that becomes more open with age. Its leaves are narrow, with blades 2 to 4 millimeters wide, and the plant features distinctive spikelets with glumes 5 to 6 millimeters long that have unequally three-toothed edges. The fruit is widely elliptic and approximately 2.5 millimeters long, reflecting the plant's diminutive yet intricate nature.

Habitat: Vernal pools

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: ScV (Sacramento Co.).

California counties: Sacramento

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