Tuctoria mucronata

Crampton's tuctoria, solano grass, Solano Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Crampton's tuctoria is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the southwestern Sacramento Valley in Solano and Yolo counties, inhabiting vernal pools and grasslands at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from April to August, this delicate grass produces small, subtly detailed spikelets with yellow anthers that dry to a pinkish hue. Growing with ascending stems that become decumbent, reaching less than 12 centimeters tall, the plant has distinctive curved leaves that roll outward and taper to fine points 2 to 4 centimeters long. Its leaves and inflorescences are notably slender, with spikelets crowded into compact structures 1.5 to 6 centimeters long and featuring glumes 4 to 7 millimeters long. The fruit is laterally flattened and widely oblong, contributing to this rare grass's unique morphology in California's ephemeral wetland ecosystems.

Habitat: Vernal pools, grassland

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: < 10 m

Bioregions: sw ScV (Solano, Yolo cos.).

California counties: Solano, Yolo

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