Taxon Details

Digitaria californica var. californica

Arizona cottontop

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Taxon Summary:

Digitaria californica var. californica, commonly known as Arizona cottontop, is a perennial herb in the Poaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 290 to 1490 meters. Digitaria californica var. californica is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Digitaria californica (Benth.) Henrard var. californica
Common Name: Arizona cottontop
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA27051
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names: Digitaria californica
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G5T5?
State Rank:	S2
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	2006-09-14
Date Edited:	2022-08-02

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial herb

Blooming Period: Jul-Nov

Elevation:
290 - 1490 meters
950 - 4890 feet

General Habitats:

Mojavean desert scrub
Sonoran desert scrub

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Rocky

Notes

Notes: See Bot. Voy. Sulph. 55 (1881) for original description and Madrono 52(4): 271 (2005) for information on the first record in CA.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	2
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	1	33 %
Improper burning regime	1	33%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	33%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					3
A	B	C	D	X	U
0	0	0	0	0	3

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	2
Recent <=20 Years	1

Presence:
Presumed Extant	3
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
Arizona (AZ), Baja California (BA), California (CA), New Mexico (NM), South America (SA), Texas (TX)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bard (3211475), Earthquake Valley (3311614), Pinto Valley (3511523)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

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CNPS Rare Plant Inventory