Taxon Report
Sphenopholis interrupta (Buckley) Scribn. ssp. californica (Vasey) Scribn.prairie false oat |
|
Taxon Summary
Sphenopholis interrupta ssp. californica, commonly known as prairie false oat, is a annual herb in the Poaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 15 to 15 meters. Sphenopholis interrupta ssp. californica is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.Classification
|
Scientific Name: |
Sphenopholis interrupta (Buckley) Scribn. ssp. californica (Vasey) Scribn. |
|
Common Name: |
prairie false oat |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Element Code: | PMPOA69071 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | |
|
Synonyms/Other Names: |
|
Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | annual herb |
| Blooming Period: Apr | Apr |
| Elevation: | 15-15 (50-50) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral |
| Microhabitat: | Clay |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.1 |
| Global Rank: | G4T1 |
|
State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
|
CRPR Changes: |
|
Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 1 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 0 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 1 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| San Diego (SDG) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| San Luis Rey (3311723) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 4 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 1 | 100 % | |
| Agriculture | 1 | 100% |
| Insufficient population/stand size | 1 | 100% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 1 | 100% |
| Other | 1 | 100% |
Notes
|
Discovered in CA in 2020 by M. Mulligan and J. Vinje; formerly thought to be a presumed extinct endemic to Baja CA, Mexico, where last seen in 1886. Threatened by non-native plants, development, and urbanization. See USDA Division of Botany, Bulletin 13(1): 46 (1892) for original description, and Rhodora 8(92):146 (1906) for revised nomenclature. |
|
Threats: |
|
Taxonomy: |
Selected References
| CRPR List Addition on 2020-09-03 |
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 December 2025].