Common Name: GRASS FAMILY Habit: Annual to woody perennial herb; roots generally fibrous. Stem: generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear, parallel-veined; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base. Inflorescence: various (of generally many spikelets). Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1--many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally +- transparent, +- enclosed by lemma. Flower: generally bisexual, minute; perianth vestigial; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose. Fruit: grain, sometimes achene- or utricle-like. Genera In Family: 650--900 genera; +- 10550 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials). Note: Generally wind-pollinated. Achnatherum, Ampelodesmos, Hesperostipa, Nassella, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Ptilagrostis moved to Stipa; Elytrigia, Leymus, Pascopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Taeniatherum to Elymus; Hierochloe to Anthoxanthum; Lolium, Vulpia to Festuca; Lycurus to Muhlenbergia; Monanthochloe to Distichlis; Pleuraphis to Hilaria; Rhynchelytrum to Melinis. The following taxa (in genera not included here), recorded in California from historical collections or reported in literature, are extirpated, lacking vouchers, or not considered naturalized: Acrachne racemosa (Roth) Ohwi, Allolepis texana (Vasey) Soderstr. & H.F. Decker, Amphibromus nervosus (Hook. f.) Baill., Axonopus affinis Chase, Axonopus fissifolius (Raddi) Kuhlm., Coix lacryma-jobi L., Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz., Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr., Eustachys distichophylla (Lag.) Nees, Gaudinia fragilis (L.) P. Beauv., Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henrard, Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Phyllostachys bambusoides Siebold & Zuccarini, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Branner & Coville, Schizachyrium cirratum (Hack.) Wooton & Standl., Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Themeda quadrivalvis (L.) Kuntze, Thysanolaena latifolia (Hornem.) Honda, Tribolium obliterum (Hemsl.) Renvoize, Zea mays L., Zizania palustris L. var. interior (Fassett) Dore, Zoysia japonica Steud. Paspalum pubiflorum E. Fourn., Paspalum quadrifarium Lam., are now reported for southern California (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761--770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics. eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted Scientific Editor: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.
Habit: Annual, +- hairy. Stem: erect, becoming prostrate. Leaf: basal and cauline; collar 0; sheath and blade continuous; basal leaves long, floating when young, becoming dry and non-functional as aerial parts grow; cauline leaf blade flat or inrolled when dry. Inflorescence: generally spike-like, exserted; spikelets 2-ranked; axis breaking above glumes and between florets with age. Spikelet: laterally compressed; florets 4--40; glumes irregularly 2--5-toothed; lemma strongly 5-toothed, each tooth 1/3--1/2+ lemma, prominent central vein flanked by 2 weaker veins; palea < lemma; anthers white or +- pink, exserted, filaments slender, ribbon-like; stigma 1/3--1/2 style, +- sparsely short-hairy. Etymology: (C.R. Orcutt, California botanist, 1864--1929) eFlora Treatment Author: John R. Reeder Reference: Reeder 2003 FNANM 25:290--292 Unabridged Reference: Reeder 1982 Amer J Bot 69:1082--1095
Orcuttia californica Vasey
NATIVE Stem: generally prostrate, sometimes forming mats, 5--15(20) cm. Leaf: sheath and blade separated by faint line when dry; blade 1--2 cm, 2--3 mm wide. Inflorescence: 3--6 cm, exserted with age; spikelets crowded toward tip. Spikelet: glumes 2--3(4) mm, subequal, irregularly toothed; florets 5--15(25); lemma +- 5 mm, teeth equal or central tooth > lateral, short-awn-tipped; palea +- = lemma; anthers +- 2 mm. Fruit: 1.5--2 mm, narrowly elliptic. Chromosomes: 2n=32. Ecology: Vernal pools; Elevation: < 700 m. Bioregional Distribution: SCo, WTR, SnGb, PR; Distribution Outside California: northern Baja California. Flowering Time: Apr--Aug Jepson eFlora Author: John R. Reeder Reference: Reeder 2003 FNANM 25:290--292 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Listed on CNPS Rare Plant Inventory Previous taxon: Orcuttia Next taxon: Orcuttia inaequalis
Botanical illustration including Orcuttia californica
Citation for this treatment: John R. Reeder 2012, Orcuttia californica, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=35379, accessed on April 24, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 24, 2024.
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