Neostapfia
Encyclopedia
Neostapfia is a monotypic genus containing the single species of grass
Neostapfia colusana, which is known by the common name Colusa grass.
, where it grows in vernal pool
s. This rare grass is a federally listed threatened species
in the United States.
s covered in flat spikelet
s. The inflorescences are said to resemble tiny ears of corn
. They fruit in grains
covered in a gluey secretion, and when a plant is mature each clump becomes brown and sticky with the exudate. The genus was named for the botanist Otto Stapf
.
The plant is limited to vernal pool habitat, a type of ecosystem which is increasingly rare as land is consumed by development and agriculture
, and damaged by flood control
regimes and other alteration in hydrology.
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...
Neostapfia colusana, which is known by the common name Colusa grass.
Distribution
It is endemic to the Central Valley of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s. This rare grass is a federally listed threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
in the United States.
Description
Colusa grass is a clumping bunchgrass with distinctive cylindrical 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...
s covered in flat spikelet
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s. The inflorescences are said to resemble tiny ears of corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. They fruit in grains
Caryopsis
In botany, a caryopsis is a type of simple dry fruit — one that is monocarpelate and indehiscent and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat....
covered in a gluey secretion, and when a plant is mature each clump becomes brown and sticky with the exudate. The genus was named for the botanist Otto Stapf
Otto Stapf
Otto Stapf FRS was an Austrian born botanist and taxonomist.Stapf trained in Vienna, moving to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1890. He was keeper of the Herbarium from 1909 to 1920...
.
The plant is limited to vernal pool habitat, a type of ecosystem which is increasingly rare as land is consumed by development and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, and damaged by flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
regimes and other alteration in hydrology.