Taxon Report

Elymus californicus (Bol.) Gould

California bottle-brush grass

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Elymus californicus, commonly known as California bottle-brush grass, is a perennial herb in the Poaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Cismontane woodland, North Coast coniferous forest, and Riparian woodland, growing at elevations from 15 to 470 meters. Elymus californicus is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Elymus californicus (Bol.) Gould
Common Name:	California bottle-brush grass
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA2H0W0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ELCA10
Synonyms/Other Names:	Hystrix californica

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Aug(Nov)	May-Aug(Nov)
Elevation:	15-470 (50-1540)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Cismontane woodland, North Coast coniferous forest, Riparian woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN), San Diego (SDG), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Cruz (SCR), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ano Nuevo (3712213), Arched Rock (3812342), Bodega Head (3812331), Bolinas (3712286), Camp Meeker (3812248), Davenport (3712212), Double Point (3712287), Drakes Bay (3812218), Duncans Mills (3812341), Felton (3712211), Inverness (3812217), La Honda (3712233), Laurel (3712118), Loma Prieta (3712117), Mindego Hill (3712232), Montara Mountain (3712254), Novato (3812215), Petaluma River (3812225), Point Bonita (3712275), Point Reyes NE (3812227), San Geronimo (3812216), San Mateo (3712253), San Rafael (3712285), Soquel (3612188), Tubb Canyon (3311624), Valley Ford (3812238), Watsonville West (3612187), Woodside (3712243)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Possibly threatened by fire suppression.
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 30 January 2025].