Search / Plant Profile / Orcuttia tenuis

Plant Profile

Slender Orcutt Grass (Orcuttia tenuis)

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Poaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 155653
Lifeform: Graminoid
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Slender Orcutt grass is an annual species that grows in vernal pools. It typically flowers from May to July, depending on location and elevation. Plants are slightly hairy and branch only from the upper parts of stems, up to 20 cm. tall.

Where is Slender Orcutt Grass (Orcuttia tenuis) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Vernal pools on Northern Volcanic Ashflow and Northern Volcanic mudflow. These pools fill with rain water during the cool winter season and gradually dry out during the summer. (Recovery Plan).

Distribution:

Slender Orcutt grass has been found in Butte, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Tehama counties, California. The largest concentration of populations is in Tehama Cou

States & Provinces:

Slender Orcutt Grass can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Slender Orcutt Grass (Orcuttia tenuis)?

University of California Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 10/23/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, University of California Botanical Garden holds 1 accessions of Orcuttia tenuis in orthodox seed collection. We are uncertain as to how many total seeds are in this collection.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, University of California Botanical Garden has collected 1 seed accessions of Orcuttia tenuis from 1 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass an unknown number of maternal plants

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to northern California and restricted to vernal pool habitats in the Central Valley. Known from about 70 extant populations. Vernal pool habitats in California's Central Valley have been greatly reduced from pre-European times; the remaining habitats are limited in extent, fragmented, and are facing on-going degradation and elimination due to numerous housing development projects and other types of urban development, agricultural activities and development, grazing, the invasion of non-native plant species, and other threats.

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

Habitat loss Habitat fragmentation

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

Of the 82 occurrences recorded, 76 are thought to be extant. 36% of the populations occur wholly or partially on federal lands.

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

Not available

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

The Lassen National Forest and Susanville District of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management jointly prepared a management plan for Slender Orcutt grass sites under their administration (including those in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest) in order to ensure the long-term survival of the species. Actions identified in that plan included avoidance of known populations, maintenance of natural hydrology, monitoring selected populations, and surveys in suitable habitats. As a result of the plan, several areas have been fenced to exclude livestock and a considerable number of additional populations have been discovered. (Recovery Plan)

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

Response to management actions needs study.

Holly Forbes

01/01/2010

Long term seed bank development.