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Imperata brevifolia

Vasey

California Satintail

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.143438
Element CodePMPOA3D020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusImperata
Other Common Names
California satintail (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2020-05-18
Change Date2013-06-17
Edition Date2020-08-25
Edition AuthorsRusso, Mary (TNC WRO), rev. J. Morefield (NVHP), 2004, rev. Treher (2020)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Imperata brevifolia is a perennial grass that occurs in Mexico and the southwestern USA, from Texas west to California and in Utah and Nevada. The largest cluster of occurrences is found in the Grand Canyon. There are a large number of historic sites, some in areas with significant threats over time. Surveys would inform trend, threats, and number of extant occurrences.
Range Extent Comments
Imperata brevifolia occurs in the southwestern USA and in Mexico, possibly as far south as Nayarit. In the United States, it occurs from Texas west to California, and in Utah and Nevada. The species was classified as a noxious weed from 1960 to 2004 in California, but is now considered native in most sites, aside from a few places where the species naturalized from ornamental plantings (CNPS 2020, FNA 2003a).
Occurrences Comments
A few areas have greater clusters of occurrences: the Grand Canyon in Arizona, southern California, and outside of Tuscon, Arizona. It is rare in several states, with two occurrences in Nevada, one or two in Texas, and two in Nevada.
Threat Impact Comments
In California, the dry areas of alkali wetlands, where this species occurs, tend to be threatened, usually by agriculture or grazing. Threats throughout the rest of the range are not known. There are less than 40 occurrences visited or surveyed in the last 20 years and most of these are on public lands which affords some protection, especially from land conversion and development (SEINet 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Imperata brevifolia occurs on moist to wet sites in hot, arid environments, often in desert canyons or on rocky slopes, near seeps, springs and streams at 200 to 1,500 meters. It is found within plant communities that include Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, and Creosote Bush Scrub (CNPS 2020, Jepson Flora Project 2020).
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralDesert
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS3Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
TexasS1Yes
UtahS1Yes
NevadaS1Yes
CaliforniaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Magic MountainAngeles National Forest15,542
References (17)
  1. CalFlora. 2005. Information on California plants for education, research and conservation. Berkeley, California: The CalFlora Database [web application]. Available: http://www.calflora.org/. (Accessed 2005)
  2. California Native Plant Society (CNPS). 2020. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-03 0.39). California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. Online. Available: http://www.rareplants.cnps.org (accessed 2020).
  3. Cronquist, A., A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K. Holmgren. 1977. Intermountain flora: vascular plants of the intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. Six. Monocotyledons. Columbia Univ. Press, New York. 584 pp.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxv + 781 pp.
  5. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  6. Hitchcock, A.S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the United States. 2nd edition revised by Agnes Chase. [Reprinted, 1971, in 2 vols., by Dover Publications, Incorporated, New York.]
  7. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2020. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html (accessed 2020).
  8. Kartesz, J.T. 1988. A flora of Nevada. Ph.D. dissertation. Univ. of Nevada, Reno. 3 volumes. 1729 pp.
  9. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  10. Kearney, T.H., R.H. Peebles, and collaborators. 1951. Arizona flora. 2nd edition with Supplement (1960) by J.T. Howell, E. McClintock, and collaborators. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1085 pp.
  11. Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. 1980, Vol. 1; 1981, Vol. 2. J. Cramer, in der A.R. Gantner Verlag, K.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 2591 pp.
  12. Munz, P.A., and D.D. Keck. 1973. A California Flora and Supplement. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1905 pp.
  13. Oswald, V.H., and L. Ahart. 1994. Manual of the vascular plants of Butte County, California. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 348 pp.
  14. Smith, C.F. 1998. A flora of the Santa Barbara region, California. 2nd edition. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Capra Press, Santa Barbara. 391 pp.
  15. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2020. Collections Databases. Online. Available: http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2020).
  16. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich and L.C. Higgins. (Eds.) 2003. A Utah Flora. 3rd edition. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, U.S.A. 912 pp.
  17. Wiggins, I.L. 1980. Flora of Baja California. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. 1025 pp.