Orcuttia californica

California Orcutt Grass

FWS Focus

Overview

Characteristics
Overview

California Orcutt grass is a small, hairy annual grass sometimes forming small tufts or mats. It was listed as endangered in 1993, and ongoing threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation due to urbanization and agricultural activities, off-highway vehicle use, fire and suppression activities, non-native species, small population size and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change
.

Scientific Name

Orcuttia californica
Common Name
California Orcutt grass
FWS Category
Flowering Plants
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Habitat

Characteristics
Habitat

It is closely associated with deep ephemeral vernal pools underlain by clay soils.

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Size & Shape

It is 2 to 8 inches tall, hairy, and bright green with prostrate stems. It secretes sticky, bitter droplets.

Geography

Characteristics
Range

It is restricted to Southern California and a few historical occurrences in northern Baja California, Mexico.

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Timeline

Explore the information available for this taxon's timeline. You can select an event on the timeline to view more information, or cycle through the content available in the carousel below.

7 Items

Listing

Listing

Permit

NEPA - EIS

Five Year Review

Five Year Review

Five Year Review

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Listing

Nov 12, 1991

Nov 12, 1991 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Proposed Rule to Determine Three Vernal Pool Plants, Pogogyne nudiuscula, Orcuttia californica…
  • Publication type: Proposed
Item 1

Listing

Aug 3, 1993

Aug 3, 1993 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Determination of Endangered Status for Three Vernal Pool Plants and the Riverside Fairy Shrimp
  • Publication type: Final
Item 2

Permit

Nov 15, 2002

Nov 15, 2002 Permit
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report and Rec…
  • Publication type: Application Received
Item 3

NEPA - EIS

Jun 4, 2004

Jun 4, 2004 NEPA - EIS
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for an Incident…
  • Publication type: Final
Item 4

Five Year Review

Mar 25, 2009

Mar 25, 2009 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of 58 Species in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah; Availability of…
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 5

Five Year Review

May 25, 2011

May 25, 2011 Five Year Review (Completion)
Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of Species in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin of Oregon
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 6

Five Year Review

May 20, 2021

May 20, 2021 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews of 76 Species in California and Nevada; request for information
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 7