''Orcuttia inaequalis'' is a rare species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

known by the common name San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass.

Distribution

It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Central Valley of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where it grows only in

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s, a rare and declining type of habitat. Many known occurrences of the plant have been

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

as land in the heavily agricultural Central Valley has been altered, and it was federally listed as a

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...

in 1997.

Description

''Orcuttia inaequalis'' is a small, hairy, gray-green annual

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...

forming tufts or mats up to about 15 centimeters tall. The fluffy, clustered

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a dense, headlike mass of spikelets, the characteristic that separates this Orcutt grass from the others, which have more spreading inflorescences.FWS Species Account
/ref>

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Orcuttia inaequalis''Grass Manual Treatment''Orcuttia inaequalis'' - Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7100338 inaequalis Endemic flora of California Native grasses of California Bunchgrasses of North America Natural history of the Central Valley (California)