| Distichlis bajaensis | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Taxonomy | |
| Kingdom | |
| (unranked) |
Angiosperms |
| (unranked) |
Monocots |
| (unranked) |
Commelinids |
| Order |
Poales |
| Family |
Poaceae |
| Subfamily |
Chloridoideae |
| Genus | |
| Species |
D. bajaensis |
| Naming and discovery | |
| Botanist |
H.L.Bell |
Distichlis bajaensis, commonly known as Baja grass, is a rare species of grass in the Poaceae family. It is native to Mexico.
Distribution[]
The baja grass is endemic to Baja California, where it is only known from one location: a salt marsh outside of Rosarito. Its habitat is an arroyo with saline and alkaline soils. It is grazed on by burros and goats.
It grows alongside other halophytes, including Juncus acutus (spiny rush), Allenrolfea occidentalis (iodinebush), and Salicornia (pickleweed).
Description[]
The baja grass is a rhizomatous perennial grass growing in clumps, and spreading from stolons. Its leaf blades reach up to 1½ centimeters long and are bent slightly, a good characteristic for identifying this species in the field. Like other members of its genus, the baja grass is dioecious, with male and female inflorescences. Only male inflorescences have been included in the plant's official description because no good female specimens have been collected.
Genetic and morphological analysis reveal that the plant is not another Distichlis, nor a hybrid of the two most closely related Distichlis. It was described to science as a new species by Hester L. Bell in 2010.