Taxon Report

Digitaria californica (Benth.) Henrard var. californica

Arizona cottontop

Print Report

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

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Nov	Jul-Nov
Elevation:	290-1490 (950-4890)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub, Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5T5?
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12 added to 2.3 on 2006-09-14

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	3
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: False
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)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

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:

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 29 October 2025].