Taxon Report

Puccinellia howellii Davis

Howell's alkali grass

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Puccinellia howellii, commonly known as Howell's alkali grass, is a perennial herb in the Poaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, growing at elevations from 490 to 490 meters. Puccinellia howellii is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Puccinellia howellii Davis
Common Name:	Howell's alkali grass
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA531A0
USDA Plants Symbol:	PUHO
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	490-490 (1610-1610)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_BerrySB
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	1
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Shasta (SHA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
French Gulch (4012266)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	100 %
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	1	100%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	100%
Mining	1	100%
Non-native plant impacts	1	100%
ORV activity	1	100%
Other	1	100%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	100%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	100%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	100%

Notes



Known from only one occurrence near Whiskeytown. Threatened by highway runoff pollution. See Madroño 37(1):55-58 (1990) for original description, 40(4):202-208 (1993) for confirmation of species validity, and 49(3):178-185 (2002) for ecological information.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 11 February 2025].