Taxon Report

Agrostis lacuna-vernalis P.M. Peterson & Soreng

vernal pool bent grass

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Agrostis lacuna-vernalis, commonly known as vernal pool bent grass, is a annual herb in the Poaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 115 to 145 meters. Agrostis lacuna-vernalis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Agrostis lacuna-vernalis P.M. Peterson & Soreng
Common Name:	vernal pool bent grass
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA041N0
USDA Plants Symbol:	AGLA
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	115-145 (375-475)
General Habitats:	Vernal pools
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_SBBG
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.1 on 2012-06-14

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: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Salinas (3612166)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Known only from Butterfly Valley and Machine Gun Flats of Ft. Ord National Monument. Possibly threatened by non-native plants, road construction, vehicles, grazing, and hydrological alterations. Similar to A. blasdalei, A. densiflora, and A. variabilis. Not in TJM 2. See Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 5(2):421-426 (2011) for original description.
Threats:
Possibly threatened by non-native plants, road construction, vehicles, grazing, and hydrological alterations.
Taxonomy:
Similar to A. blasdalei, A. densiflora, and A. variabilis. Not in TJM 2.

Selected References

Proposed New Add to Rank 1B.1, G1 / S1 (2012)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 February 2025].