Sacramento Orcutt Grass
See photo info below
Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office
Species Account
SACRAMENTO ORCUTT GRASS
(Orcuttia viscida)
CLASSIFICATION: Federal Endangered Species (Federal Register 62:14338 (pdf); March 26, 1997).
This species was listed as endangered by the California Department of Fish and Game in July 1979. The California Native Plant Society has placed it on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range).
CRITICAL HABITAT: Originally designated in Federal Register
68:46683
pdf; August 6, 2003.
The designation was revised in
70:46923
pdf;
August 11, 2005. Species by unit designations were published in
71:7117
(pdf) February 10, 2006.
RECOVERY PLAN: Recovery Plan for Vernal Pool Ecosystems of California and Southern Oregon
DESCRIPTION:
Sacramento Orcutt grass (Orcuttia viscida) is a small, densely tufted annual member of the grass family (Poaceae). It grows 1 to 4 inches in height. The plant is covered with small glandular hairs and is sticky even when young, and more so at maturity. It has few to many slender stems and a spike-like inflorescence, which is congested at the apex.
Flowers are characterized by a five-toothed lemma (bract) with the middle tooth conspicuously longer than the lateral ones. The lemma teeth curve outward at maturity, giving the inflorescence a distinct bristly appearance. As in other Orcutt grasses, the leaves lack a ligule (small, scale-like outgrowth found on some grasses).
Although Sacramento Orcutt grass is geographically isolated from all other members of the genus, it most closely resembles the threatened San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass (Orcuttia inaequalis). See Hickman (1993) in General Information about California Plants, below, for a detailed description of both species.
DISTRIBUTION:
Sacramento Orcutt grass grows in relatively large, deep vernal pools. It is restricted to a region of approximately 135 square miles in eastern Sacramento County, with no historic locations are known outside this area.
THREATS:
Urbanization is a continuing threat, particularly in the Rancho Cordova area. Expansion of the Kiefer Landfill may adversely affect occurrences adjacent to the new landfill. Trash from the existing landfill frequently blows into the pools. An industrial park and road widening are other urban-related factors that threaten the species.
The Phoenix Field Ecological Reserve and Phoenix Park occurrences are in an urban landscape. The Ecological Reserve is completely surrounded by housing and the vernal pools are buffered by as little as 3 feet from residential backyards. They are affected by excess runoff from lawns, ball fields and roads, by herbicide and fertilizer applied in adjacent areas, and by dumping of landscape waste. Another threat at the Ecological Reserve is invasion of garden plants. Recreational activities such as rollerblading, biking and horseback riding also pose continuing threats at Phoenix Park.
In addition, competition from other native plants, such as Eleocharis macrostachya and nonnative plants such as mannagrass could displace O. viscida. Mining, off-road vehicle use, and vandalism also threaten one or more specific occurrences. Although the individual populations are sufficiently large that they are not subject to random fluctuations such as genetic drift, the very restricted range of the species as a whole puts it in continued danger of extinction from random, catastrophic events.
REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (See our Disclaimer)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1997. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for Three Plants and Threatened Status for Five Plants From Vernal Pools in the Central Valley of California. (pdf) Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2003. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation of Critical Habitat for Four Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Eleven Vernal Pool Plants in California and Southern Oregon Vernal pool crustaceans and plants in California and Oregon. Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2005. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation of Critical Habitat for Four Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Eleven Vernal Pool Plants in California and Southern Oregon; Evaluation of Economic Exclusions From August 2003 Final Designation; Final Rule. Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2006. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Designation of Critical Habitat for Four Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Eleven Vernal Pool Plants; Final Rule. Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2005. Recovery Plan for Vernal Pool Ecosystems of California and Southern Oregon. Portland, Oregon.
General Information about California Plants
Photo credit: Sacramento Orcutt Grass Rick York © 1982 California Native Plant Society Calphoto ID: 0000 0000 0502 1169
Prepared by Endangered
Species Div., Sacramento Fish & Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service
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