Taxon Report
Swallenia alexandrae (Swall.) Soderstrom & DeckerEureka Valley dune grass |
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Taxon Summary
Swallenia alexandrae, commonly known as Eureka Valley dune grass, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Poaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Desert dunes, growing at elevations from 850 to 1280 meters. Swallenia alexandrae is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Swallenia alexandrae (Swall.) Soderstrom & Decker |
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Common Name: |
Eureka Valley dune grass |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Element Code: | PMPOA5Y010 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | SWAL |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial rhizomatous herb |
| Blooming Period: Apr-Jun | Apr-Jun |
| Elevation: | 850-1280 (2790-4200) |
| General Habitats: | Desert dunes |
| Microhabitat: | |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G2 |
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State Rank: |
S2 |
| State List: | CR |
| Fed List: | FT |
| Other Status: | SB_CalBG/RSABG |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 5 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 5 |
| Good (B) | 0 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 0 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Inyo (INY) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| East of Joshua Flats (3711727), East of Waucoba Spring (3711717), Last Chance Range SW (3711716) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 1 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 1 | 20 % | |
| ORV activity | 1 | 20% |
Notes
| Known only from dunes in Eureka Valley, within Death Valley NP. Habitat previously degraded by vehicle traffic; populations recovering well, but still threatened by vehicle trespass and recreation. See Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 40(1):19-21 (1950) for original description, Madroño 17(3):88 (1963) for revised nomenclature, and Biological Conservation 46:217-242 (1988) for population biology. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].