Puccinellia howellii

Howell's alkali grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Howell's alkali grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges in Shasta County at mineral springs around 425 meters elevation. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale green to white flowers in delicate branching clusters. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it has a fine, compact growth habit characteristic of alkali-adapted grasses. Its narrow leaves are tightly rolled, measuring 1.4 to 2.2 millimeters wide when unfolded, with a distinctive fine texture. The plant's small spikelets feature lemmas with slightly scabrous margins, giving the inflorescence a subtle textured appearance.

Habitat: Mineral springs

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: +- 425 m.

Bioregions: KR (Shasta Co.).

California counties: Shasta

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