Taxon Report

Puccinellia simplex Scribn.

California alkali grass

Print Report

© 2017 Chris Winchell

Classification


Scientific Name:	Puccinellia simplex Scribn.
Common Name:	California alkali grass
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA53110
USDA Plants Symbol:	PUSI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	2-930 (5-3050)
General Habitats:	Chenopod scrub, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:	Alkaline, Flats, Lake Margins, Vernally Mesic
Microhabitat Details:	sinks

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2015-10-15

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	80
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	4
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	15
Unknown (U)	56

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alameda (ALA), Butte (BUT), Colusa (COL), Contra Costa (CCA), Fresno (FRE), Glenn (GLE), Kern (KRN), Kings (KNG)*, Lake (LAK), Los Angeles (LAX), Madera (MAD), Merced (MER), Napa (NAP), San Bernardino (SBD), San Luis Obispo (SLO), Santa Clara (SCL), Santa Cruz (SCR), Solano (SOL), Stanislaus (STA), Tulare (TUL), Yolo (YOL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Altamont (3712166), Arbuckle (3912211), Arena (3712036), Bonita Ranch (3612082), Byron Hot Springs (3712176), Cairns Corner (3611922), Calistoga (3812255), Chittenden (3612185), Cholame Valley (3512073), Clifton Court Forebay (3712175), Colusa (3912221), Crows Landing (3712141), Davis (3812156), Denverton (3812128), Dozier (3812137), Eldorado Bend (3812177), Elmira (3812138), Fairfield South (3812221), Firebaugh NE (3612083), Goshen (3611934), Gravelly Ford (3612072), Grays Bend (3812166), Guernsey (3611926), Hanford (3611936), Hatch (3712048), Helm (3612051), Jamesan (3612062), Kerman (3612061), La Costa Valley (3712157), Lake Isabella North (3511864), Lake Isabella South (3511854), Logandale (3912242), Lokern (3511945), Los Banos (3712017), Los Banos Valley (3612181), Lost Hills (3511956), Lost Hills NE (3511965), Lucerne Valley (3411648), Madison (3812168), Merritt (3812157), Milpitas (3712148), Monson (3611943), Mud Hills (3511711), Ortigalita Peak NW (3612088), Pennington (3912137), Plainsburg (3712023), Redman (3411778), Remnoy (3611935), Reward (3511936), Ripon (3712162), Riverdale (3611947), Rosamond Lake (3411871), Saxon (3812146), Stonyford (3912245), Stratford (3611927), Tassajara (3712177), Taylor Weir (3611914), Traver (3611944), Weed Patch (3511828), West Elk Hills (3511935), Westley (3712152), Wilbur Springs (3912214), Williams (3912222), Woodland (3812167)*

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	32	40 %
Agriculture	20	25%
Development	15	18%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	6	7%
Other	6	7%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	1%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	1%
Dam/Inundation	1	1%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	1%
Landfill	1	1%
Mining	1	1%
Non-native plant impacts	1	1%

Notes



See Circular, United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Agrostology 16:1 (1899) for original description.
Threats:
Threatened by hydrological alterations, urbanization, agricultural conversion, development, and habitat fragmentation, disturbance, alteration, and loss; resulting in extirpation of some occurrences. Potentially threatened by solar energy development. Possibly threatened by grazing and proximity to roads.
Taxonomy:
Similar to P. parishii.

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2015-10-15

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 7 January 2025].