Puccinellia howellii
Encyclopedia
|unranked_classis = Monocots
|unranked_ordo = Commelinids
|ordo = Poales
|familia = Poaceae
|subfamilia = Pooideae
|genus = Puccinellia
|species = P. howellii
|binomial = Puccinellia howellii
|binomial_authority = J.I.Davis
|}}
Puccinellia howellii is a rare species of grass
known by the common name Howell's alkali grass. It is endemic to Shasta County, California
, where it is known from a single population in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
near Whiskeytown
. Its entire population is contained in a 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) complex of three saline
mineral spring
s directly next to Highway 299
. The grass was first described to science in 1990 and no other populations were discovered despite extensive searches of the area.
is an array of branches a few centimeters long, the lower ones reflexed as the fruit matures. The grass reproduces only by seed, and seed is not produced until the individual is two years old or more. The plants are mostly dormant during warm months when the soil salinity is highest, and the seed germinates
during wet seasons when water flow dilutes the salt.
The single population of the grass is made up of several thousand individuals, a dominant species of the vegetation in this tiny network of mineral springs. It grows alongside other halophyte
s such as saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima).
surface runoff
from the highway which is just steps away from its habitat, alterations in the specific moisture, pH
, and salinity requirements of the plant season by season, and changes in the sediment
amounts entering the habitat by water flow. In this habitat, freshwater
is considered a pollutant, because it reduces the salinity too much for the grass to survive; management plans highlight the importance of diverting freshwater away from the springs.
Other threats include grazing
by black-tailed deer
(Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), garbage
from the road, and random events
that could affect the entire population.
|unranked_ordo = Commelinids
Commelinids
In plant taxonomy, commelinids is a name used by the APG III system for a clade within the monocots, which in its turn is a clade within the angiosperms. The commelinids are the only clade that the APG has informally named within the monocots...
|ordo = Poales
Poales
Poales is a large order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges. Sixteen plant families are currently recognized by botanists to be part of Poales....
|familia = Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
|subfamilia = Pooideae
Pooideae
The Pooideae is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae. It includes some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses.- List :...
|genus = Puccinellia
Puccinellia
Puccinellia is a genus of grasses which are known as alkali grass. These grasses grow in wet environments, often in saline or alkaline conditions...
|species = P. howellii
|binomial = Puccinellia howellii
|binomial_authority = J.I.Davis
|}}
Puccinellia howellii is a rare species of grass
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name Howell's alkali grass. It is endemic to Shasta County, California
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
, where it is known from a single population in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
The Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area in northern California. It has a total of of land, which is divided into three units, Whiskeytown, Shasta and Trinity. The recreation area was established in 1965 by the United States Congress. The...
near Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown, California
Whiskeytown is an unincorporated community in Shasta County, California, United States. The ZIP Code is 96095. The community is inside area code 530. Although once a bustling mining town, there are very few people living in Whiskeytown as of today. The entire town of Whiskeytown was flooded to make...
. Its entire population is contained in a 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) complex of three saline
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s directly next to Highway 299
California State Route 299
State Route 299 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs across the northern part of the state. It runs from Arcata on the Pacific Ocean to the border with Nevada. Between Arcata and Redding, Route 299 junctions with State Route 96 and is briefly co-signed with State Route 3. In...
. The grass was first described to science in 1990 and no other populations were discovered despite extensive searches of the area.
Description
Puccinellia howellii is perennial bunchgrass, and grows in clumpy monotypic stands of stems up to 60 centimeters tall. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an array of branches a few centimeters long, the lower ones reflexed as the fruit matures. The grass reproduces only by seed, and seed is not produced until the individual is two years old or more. The plants are mostly dormant during warm months when the soil salinity is highest, and the seed germinates
Germination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
during wet seasons when water flow dilutes the salt.
The single population of the grass is made up of several thousand individuals, a dominant species of the vegetation in this tiny network of mineral springs. It grows alongside other halophyte
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
s such as saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima).
Endangered status
Threats to this already extremely rare grass include pollutedPollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
surface runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
from the highway which is just steps away from its habitat, alterations in the specific moisture, pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
, and salinity requirements of the plant season by season, and changes in the sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
amounts entering the habitat by water flow. In this habitat, freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
is considered a pollutant, because it reduces the salinity too much for the grass to survive; management plans highlight the importance of diverting freshwater away from the springs.
Other threats include grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
by black-tailed deer
Black-tailed Deer
Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...
(Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), garbage
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
from the road, and random events
Stochastic process
In probability theory, a stochastic process , or sometimes random process, is the counterpart to a deterministic process...
that could affect the entire population.