Enumerating California Needlegrasses (the tribe Stipeae)

Peterson PM, Romaschenko K, Soreng RJ, Reyna JV (2019) A key to the North American genera of Stipeae (Poaceae, Pooideae) with descriptions and taxonomic names for species of Eriocoma, Neotrinia, Oloptum, and five new genera: Barkworthia, ×Eriosella, Pseudoeriocoma, Ptilagrostiella, and Thorneochloa. PhytoKeys 126: 89–125. https://doi. org/10.3897/phytokeys.126.34096

California has by my count 42 taxa of needlegrasses: the Tribe Stipeae Dumort.  In the Jepson Manual, a broad (and overly simplified) generic concept was used: a single genus Stipa L.  Robustly supported phylogenetic and biogeographic data now indicates that a number of lineages qualify as genera, based on globally coherent viewpoint (yes, in Jepson-ease its so easy to just blurt out Stipa! and remain in ignorance).  Botanists struggle with the concept of a genus, and are, when confused, inclined to combine lineages and they don’t know when to stop.  This results inappropriate and ill-informative treatments: one could recognize only Triticum L. for all species within the Triticeae, the cereal grasses, decidedly poor science, and a setback for bread baking!  

Our generic lineup thus becomes (new named genera are bold italics):

Amelichloa

Ampelodesmos

Barkworthia

Eriocoma

Hesperostipa

Jarava

Nassella

Oloptum

Oryzopsis

Pappostipa

Piptatherum

Piptochaetium

Ptilagrostiella

Stipellula

Thorneochloa

The California roster: Format New Name             STATUS

Amelichloa brachychaeta (Godr.) Arriaga & Barkworth    Native

Amelichloa caudata (Trin.) Arriaga & Barkworth Waif

Amelichloa clandestina (Hack.) Arriaga & Barkworth         Waif

Ampelodesmos mauritanica (Poir.) T. Durand & Schinz,   Naturalized

Barkworthia stillmanii (Bol.) Romasch., P.M. Peterson & Soreng  Native

Eriocoma arida (M.E. Jones) Romasch.    Native

Eriocoma bloomeri (Bol.) Romasch.          Native

Eriocoma coronata (Thurb.) Romasch.    Native

Eriocoma hymenoides (Roem. & Schult.) Rydb.   Native

Eriocoma latiglumis (Swallen) Romasch. Native

Eriocoma lemmonii (Vasey) Romasch.    Native

Eriocoma lemmonii subsp. pubescens (Crampton) Romasch.        Native

Eriocoma lettermanii (Vasey) Romasch. Native

Eriocoma nelsonii (Scribn.) Romasch. subsp. dorei (Barkworth & J. Maze) Romasch.           Native

Eriocoma nevadensis (B.L. Johnson) Romasch.    Native

Eriocoma occidentalis  (Thurb. ex S. Watson) Romasch. subsp. californica (Merr. & Burtt Davy) Romasch. Native

Eriocoma occidentalis (Thurb. ex S. Watson) Romasch. ssp. occidentalis   Native

Eriocoma occidentalis (Thurb. ex S. Watson) Romasch. subsp. pubescens (Vasey) Romasch.,          Native

Eriocoma parishii (Vasey) Romasch.         Native

Eriocoma pinetorum (M.E. Jones) Romasch.         Native

Eriocoma thurberiana (Piper) Romasch. Native

Eriocoma webberi Thurb.             Native

Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth subsp. comata    Native

Hesperostipa comata subsp. intermedia (Scribn. & Tweedy) Barkworth   Native

Jarava plumosa (Spreng.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett          Waif

Nassella cernua (Stebb. & Löve) Barkworth           Native

Nassella formicara (Del.) Barkworth         Native

Nassella lepida (A. Hitchc.) Barkworth     Native

Nassella manicata (E. Desv.) Barkworth  Naturalized

Nassella pulchra (A. Hitchc.) Barkworth  Native

Nassella tenuissima (Trin.) Barkworth     Waif

Nassella viridula (Trin.) Barkworth            Native

Oloptum miliaceum (L.) Röser & H.R. Hamasha   Naturalized

Oryzopsis exigua Thurb. Native

Oryzopsis micrantha (Trin. & Rupr.) Thurb.           Native

Pappostipa speciosa (Trin. & Rupr.) Romaschenko             Native

Piptatherum miliaceum (L.) Coss.              Naturalized

Piptochaetium setosum (Trin.) Arechav. Naturalized

Piptochaetium stipoides (Trin. & Rupr.) Hack. ex Arechav.              Naturalized

Ptilagrostiella kingii (Bol.) Romasch.         Native

Stipellula capensis (Thunb.) Röser & H.R. Hamasha            Naturalized

Thorneochloa diegoensis (Swallen) Romasch.      Native

Typification of Phacelia vallicola Congdon ex Brand

This basionym was published in Konigliches Gymnasium zu Sorau, Beilage zum Jahresbericht. Sorau 7. 1911.  The protologue is apparently not available on line (accessed 7/2/2019).  Brand (1913) and Jepson (1943) cite the holotype as “Hites Cove, J.W. Congdon, 8 May 1892”.    Brand (1913) cited only one specimen as “Parish”. 

Two Congdon specimens database on line bear this date: UC126012 is a specimen that was originally part of the Brandegee Herbarium (Carter 2011), acquired afterwards by UC Berkeley.  A second specimen, DS134418 is labeled as an isotype.   Parish's herbarium was sold to Stanford University in 1917, and for this reason the specimen CAS BOT-BC6817| DS 134418 is the probable holotype, and the UC specimen is an isotype. 

Brand specifically cited three other specimens as “n 126001 u 133062 in Herb Berkeley”, and “ud bei Hennessey Ranch (Lembert, Mai 1984, Herb Berkeley)”. UC126001 and UC133062 are Congdon specimens collected at Hites Cove, Mariposa County on May 29, 12898 and are not type material.  There are two accessions of a Lembert specimen from Hennessey Ranch (vicinity present day El Portal, Mariposa County: UC107446 and UC24328.  These too are not type material.

Phacelia vallicola was poorly collected until the 1980s, and its range imperfectly known (Bowcutt 1989).  At the time, it was judged a rare plant and was considered of conservation concern (Smith & York 1984) but was later dropped as being too common.

JStore Plant Science search on Phacelia vallicola yields a set of specimens under the name Phacelia vallicola Heller.  This name was never published: the specimens, NDG42076, K001096033 and  PH00028311.  The specimens are Phacelia hastata Lehm. var. charlestonensis Cronq. (Niles & Leary 2007)

References
 Bowcutt, F. 1989. Reappraisal of the range of Phacelia vallicola (Hydrophyllaceae).  Madroño 36(1):51-52.

Brand, A.  1913. Hydrophyllaceae, in Engler Das Pflanzenreich, IV. 251. 29-57.

Carter, N. C. 2011. The Brandegees: leading botanists in San Diego. Journal of California Garden & Landscape History Society 14: 1-9.

Jepson, W.L.  1943.  Hydrophyllaceae, Pp. 223-297 in A Flora of California, Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley. 

Niles, W.E. and P.J. Leary.  Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of the Spring Mountains Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada.  Mentzelia (J. Nevada Native Plant Society) Vol. 8

Smith, J.P and R. York.  1984.  Inventory of rare and endangered plants of California.  California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.