Taxon Report

Agrostis hendersonii Hitchc.

Henderson's bent grass

Print Report

©2005 Steve Matson

Classification


Scientific Name:	Agrostis hendersonii Hitchc.
Common Name:	Henderson's bent grass
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA040K0
USDA Plants Symbol:	AGHE3
Synonyms/Other Names:	Agrostis microphylla var. hendersonii

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	70-305 (230-1000)
General Habitats:	Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.2
Global Rank:	G2Q
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	26
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	6
Good (B)	5
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	13

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT)?, Calaveras (CAL), Merced (MER), Napa (NAP), Shasta (SHA), Tehama (TEH), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Balls Ferry (4012242), Bella Vista (4012262), Bend (4012232), Berry Creek (3912164), Brush Creek (3912163)?, Corning (3912282), Dales (4012231), Enterprise (4012253), Haystack Mtn. (3712043), Henleyville (3912283), Mt. George (3812232), New Melones Dam (3712085), Palo Cedro (4012252), Project City (4012263), Tuscan Buttes Ne (4012241)?, Wallace (3812028)*, West of Gerber (4012213), Yosemite Lake (3712044)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	7
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	11	42 %
Development	6	23%
Grazing	6	23%
ORV activity	3	11%
Other	1	3%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	3%
Non-native plant impacts	1	3%
Dam/Inundation	1	3%

Notes



Move to List 1B? Field surveys needed. Identity of BUT Co. plants remains questionable. One occurrence extirpated by construction of Comanche Reservoir; also threatened by development. Candidate for state listing in OR, but presumed extinct there. Very similar to A. microphylla; study needed. Chromosome distinction exists between these two taxa; see Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 72:541-549 (1945) and Southwestern Naturalist 10:211-213 (1965) for information. See Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 20(15):381 (1930) for original description, Madroño 3(6):230 (1936) for first CA record, and Leaflets of Western Botany 3(12):258 (1943) for second CA record.
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 7 January 2025].