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Blepharidachne kingii

(S. Wats.) Hack.

King Eyelash Grass

G4Apparently Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134483
Element CodePMPOA0X020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusBlepharidachne
Other Common Names
King's eyelashgrass (EN) King's Eyelashgrass (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 Date2023-08-25
Change Date1990-04-02
Edition Date2023-08-25
Edition AuthorsRusso, Mary, rev. D. Gries (1998), rev. Eberly (2023)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Blepharidachne kingii is a perennial grass that is adapted to arid regions of the Great Basin in the western United States, where it is endemic. While rare at the periphery of its range in California and Idaho, it is one of the most abundant grasses in the northeastern desert of Nevada and adjacent Utah. Threats and trends are unknown.
Range Extent Comments
Blepharidachne kingii occurs in the western United States where it is endemic to the Great Basin with occurrences throughout Nevada, except for the northwestern counties (Kartesz 1988), in eastern California (Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino Counties), southwestern Idaho (Owyhee County), and western Utah (Beaver, Box, Elder, Juab, Millard, and Tooele Counties) (Hickman 1993, Moseley 1995, Welsh 1993). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between between 1983 and 2023 (CCH2 2023, CNDDB 2023, GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).
Occurrences Comments
In northeastern Nevada (Elko and White Pine Counties) and adjacent Utah, this species is reported to be the dominant grass (Cronquist et al. 1977, Kartesz 1988). By applying a 1 km separation distance to georeferenced herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1983 and 2023, it is estimated that there are at least 72 occurrences rangewide (CCH2 2023, CNDDB 2023, GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, SEINet 2023). This diminutive grass is likely underrepresented in herbaria collections, not all collections are georeferenced, and anecdotal comments support the likelihood that there are over 81 occurrences rangewide.
Threat Impact Comments
This species is not palatable to livestock and is drought tolerant.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs on dry, calcareous, gravelly or rocky, limestone basin floors, slopes and washes with Atriplex spp., Astragalus spp., Chrysothamnus nauseosus, Ceratoides spp., Larrea spp., Ambrosia spp., Sarcobatus spp., Grayia spp., and Lycium spp. of shadscale deserts and sagebrush valleys or in pinyon-juniper woodlands (Cronquist et al. 1977, Kartesz 1988, Moseley 1995, Jepson Flora Project 2023).

Ecology

This species remains dormant during dry years.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralDesert
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS2Yes
NevadaS4Yes
IdahoS1Yes
UtahS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Birch CreekInyo National Forest28,816
Nevada (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Boundary Peak (NV)Inyo National Forest21,851
QuinnHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest62,459
References (13)
  1. California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2023. RareFind Version 5.2.14. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
  2. CCH2 Portal. 2023. Consortium of California Herbaria. Online. Available: https//:www.cch2.org/portal/index.php (accessed 2023).
  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. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
  5. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  6. iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
  7. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2023. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (accessed 2023).
  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. Moseley, R.K. 1995. Status of <i>Blepharidachne kingii</i> (King's Desertgrass) and <i>Cleomella plocasperma</i> (Alkali Cleomella) in Idaho. BLM Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Lower Snake River District. Online. Available: https://idfg.idaho.gov/ifwis/idnhp/cdc_pdf/moser95f.pdf.
  11. NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  12. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).
  13. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins (eds.) 1993. A Utah flora. 2nd edition. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah. 986 pp.