Neostapfia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Chloridoideae
Tribus: Cynodonteae
Subtribus: Orcuttiinae
Genus: Neostapfia
Species: N. colusana
Name

Neostapfia Burtt Davy, Erythea 7: 43 (1899) nom. nov.
monotypic taxon

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Stapfia Burtt Davy, Erythea 6: 109 (1898), nom. illeg.
Davyella Hack., Oesterr. Bot. Z. 49: 134 (1899).

References

Davy, J.B. (1899) Erythea 7: 43.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2013. Neostapfia in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 6. Reference page.
Simon, B.K., Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T., Vorontsova, M., Brake, I., Healy, D. & Alfonso, Y. 2013. GrassWorld, Neostapfia. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 6.
Tropicos.org 2013. Neostapfia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 6.
International Plant Names Index. 2013. Neostapfia. Published online. Accessed: 6 Nov. 2013.

Neostapfia is a genus of endemic Californian bunchgrasses, in the subfamily Chloridoideae of the grass family, Poaceae.[3][1][4][5][6] The only known species is Neostapfia colusana, with the common name Colusa grass.[1]

Distribution

Neostapfia colusana is endemic to the Central Valley of California, in the northern section's Sacramento Valley and in the southern section's San Joaquin Valley.[1] The bunchgrass grows in vernal pools, which are seasonal shallow freshwater ponds.

It is native to the Central Valley counties of Glenn, Colusa, Yolo, Solano, Stanislaus, and Merced.[7][8]

This rare grass is a federally listed threatened species in the United States.[9][3]
Description

Neostapfia colusana is a clumping bunchgrass with distinctive cylindrical inflorescences covered in flat spikelets.

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.
Conservation

The plant is limited to vernal pool habitats, a type of ecosystem which is increasingly rare as Central Valley land is consumed by development and agriculture, and damaged by flood control regimes and other alterations of hydrology.[10]
References

Jepson (JM2): Neostapfia colusana
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
USDA: Neostapfia colusana
Davy, Joseph Burtt. 1898. "Stapfia, a new genus of Meliceae, and other noteworthy grasses." Erythea 6 (11): 109-113, text.
Davy, Joseph Burtt. 1898. "Stapfia, a new genus of Meliceae, and other noteworthy grasses." Erythea 6 (11): plate 1, line drawings of Neostapfia colusana, named as Stapfia colusana
Davy, Joseph Burtt 1899. "Concerning Stapfia." Erythea 7 (43)
Calflora Database: Neostapfia colusana, with county distribution maps.
Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps for Neostapfia colusana
The Calflora Database: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria. 2015. Berkeley, California
California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile