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PRE — Plant Risk Evaluator

Cutandia memphitica -- California

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Evaluation Summary


Evaluation Date:  2024-09-29

Screener:  Melanie Davis
 
Plant:  Cutandia memphitica
Common Name(s):
Memphis grass

State:  California

PRE Score:  7
Questions Answered:  20
Screener Confidence (%):  71

Executive Summary

Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Poaceae, is an annual plant native to North Africa, Iberian Peninsula, Italiy, through the Middle East and to eastern Pakistan and surrounding areas. It is restricted to sandy habitats, favoring inland stabilized sand fields and sand dunes. This species has not been found outside of it's native range, withholding California, where it has been documented three times. The first documentation of C. memphitica in California was in 1933 in western San Bernardino County. It was not documented again until 2020 and 2024 by the author within the southern Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, where it was likely introduced through military equipment. The plant was identified through photographs by Andrew C. Sanders in 2020, and then was verified through DNA and molecular analysis by CDFA in 2024.
We currently have very little documentation of this species native distribution, however, through analogous studies pertaining to the effects of regional war, grazing value, and agriculture, it is clear that this is a fairly common species within appropriate habitat. This review considers this species as a low potential risk, likely due to of the lack of introduction of this species and other members of the Cutundia genus worldwide, among other results. However, introduced grasses in delicate desert ecosystems pose a risk and the spread of this species regionally should be monitored.

Climate Matching Map

Attachment Size
climatematch-cutandia_memphitica-california-20240929.pdf (1.11 MB) 1.11 MB

1. Question 1

Yes
1
Medium
Cutandia memphitica has not been recorded as naturalized outside of it's native range. As of the time of this report, it has been introduced to California where it has been recorded three times, once in 1933, once in 2020, and once in 2024. The latter of the two records were at the same location in the southern Mojave desert where it was common throughout sandy substrate. Although it was occurring near roads, it had also become locally naturalized and spread into the surrounding habitat.
2024. Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt. GRIN-Global. https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=12697.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica Calflora”. https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=9081.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.
2024. “USDA Plants Database: Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt”. https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=CUME2.
CCH2, Portal. 2024. CCH2 Portal - Occurrence Records. https://www.cch2.org/portal/collections/list.php?usethes=1\&taxa=138752.

2. Question 2

Yes
2
Medium
Cutandia memphitica has not been noted as naturalized outside of its native range, but it has been consistently documented within a small region of eastern San Bernardino County for the past four years. See response to Question 1.
2024. “ClimateMatch Cutandia Memphitica in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/691e7dea7da83af2cf7e90180ad65afc/Clima….
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.

3. Question 3

No
0
Very High
Cutandia memphitic is not invasive anywhere.
2024. “ClimateMatch Cutandia Memphitica in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/691e7dea7da83af2cf7e90180ad65afc/Clima….
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica Calflora”. https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=9081.

4. Question 4

No
0
Very High
Cutandia memphitic is not invasive anywhere.
2024. “ClimateMatch Cutandia Memphitica in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/691e7dea7da83af2cf7e90180ad65afc/Clima….
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.

5. Question 5

No
0
Medium
Members of the Cutandia genus are either circum-Mediterranean like C. dichotoma, C. divaricata, and C. maritima. Cutandia stenostachya and C. rigescens are more rare and restricted to Turkey and Azerbaijan, respectively. However, Stešević et al. (2017) poses that Cutandia maritima in non-native in the east in Croatia, where it was discovered in 1990, and Montenegro where is was first documented in 2005 and published in 2009 (Glasnović 2009). Stešević et al. was unable to prove that C. maritima was introduced in the Balkans, however if it was it occurs rarely and would not be considered invasive.
Cutandia is in the subtribe of Parapholiinae, which it shares with other genera that have been introduced or become invasive in California and other regions that share a similar climate. Parapholis incurva is found to be invasive in the USA and Australia, Parapholis strigosus is introduced in California and Australia, however these taxon are not closely related to Cutandia to consider answering this question "Yes".
c, Danijela Ste\v sevi\, Nada Bubanja, Danka Cakovi\ c, Nejc Jogan, Milica Lukovi\ c, and Urban \v Silc. 2017. “Sciendo”. Hacquetia 16: 181-87. doi:10.1515/hacq-2017-0002.
c, Glasnovi\. 2009. “Report of the Working Group for Plants”.
2024. “Cal-IPC Climate Match Tool: Cutandia Worldwide”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/climatematch/.
Randall, R. P. 2017. “A Global Compendium of Weeds. Third Edition”. Dept. of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313645439_A_Global_Compendium_….
2024. “ClimateMatch Parapholis Strigosa in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/ef3b585b9c365818ae8e7b9bbe0f704c/Clima….
2024. “ClimateMatch Parapholis Incurva in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/7d94704f0e6f5fb4adb01a015cc4260d/Clima….

6. Question 6

No
0
Low
Where Cutandia memphitica is most recorded does not match the combined climate of California (Israel). However, this species is commonly found in countries like Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait, where there is little representation on the Climate Match Tool. Although C. memphitica is found in regions of Spain, which do match the climate of California, this is not it's primary area of distribution.

Although the Climate Match Tool does not represent the actual home range of the species, of which has been vastly under-documented in the occurrence data and more evidence could show that the climates have more in common, I am answering this question 'No'. With more accurate representation we could find >50% of the species' range does match California's climate (Omar & Bartolome, 1994; Faraj et al., 2024; Mohamed et al., 1991; Omar, 1991).
Omar, Samira, and James Bartolome. 1994. Nutrient Variation in Plants and Soil Impacted by Oil-Well Fires Caused by Iraqi Forces During the Gulf War.
Omar, Samira Ahmad S. 1991. “Dynamics of Range Plants Following 10 Years of Protection in Arid Rangelands of Kuwait”. Journal of Arid Environments 21: 99-111. doi:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30732-8.
Mohamed, S. A., J. Abbas, and M. Saleh. 1991. “Natural Diet of the Arabian Rheem Gazelle, Gazella Subgutturosa Marica”. Journal of Arid Environments 20: 371-74. doi:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30697-9.
2024. “ClimateMatch Cutandia Memphitica in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/691e7dea7da83af2cf7e90180ad65afc/Clima….
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.
Faraj, Ammar H., Ender S. Colak, and Dogan Isik. 2024. “The Influence of Temperature, Light, PH and Salinity on Germination and Growth of Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) Benth”. Advancements in Life Sciences., Vol. 11, No. 3, Pp. 565-571. https://www.als-journal.com/1135-24/.

7. Question 7

No
0
Medium
Cutandia memphitica has not been established outside of it's native range. It is a medium sized annual grass and while it does have the potential to displace small native annual forb species that are associated with sandy habitats through resource competition, I was unable to find supportive evidence in the literature. Where this species has been introduced it can easily reproduce and compete for resources (personal observation). It does not grow taller than 35cm, does not have an overstory, and is not a vine.
2024. “ClimateMatch Cutandia Memphitica in California”. https://weedmap.cal-ipc.org/temp/691e7dea7da83af2cf7e90180ad65afc/Clima….
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.

8. Question 8

No
0
Low
I was unable to find any evidence in the literature around Cutandia memphitica promoting fire or changing fire regimes. It is reliant on sandy habitats, either active or stabilized dunes, which can be sparse in vegetation, but are not always, and do not have an associated fire ecology. However, being a medium sized annual grass that can grow in dense stands, it would leave residual biomass on the landscape that could become easily ignited after desiccation during the summer months, akin to the widespread affects of Schismus and Bromus species in the California deserts.
I think that there could be a case for this species to promote or alter fire regimes, however due to lack of evidence and insufficient background I cannot reasonably answer "yes" here. More data and research is needed here.
Danin, A., and G. Orshan. 1999. Vegetation of Israel. 1: Desert and Coastal Vegetation. Leiden: Backhuys Publ.
El-Amier, YA, EF El-Halawany, and TJ Abdullah. 2014. “Composition and Diversity of Plant Communities in Sand Formations Along the Northern Coast of the Nile Delta in Egypt”. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical Biological and Chemical Sciences.
Wragg, Peter D., Troy Mielke, and David Tilman. 2018. “Forbs, Grasses, and Grassland Fire Behaviour”. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.12980.
Danin, A. 1978. “Plant Species Diversity and Plant Succession in a Sandy Area in the Northern Negev”. https://flora.org.il/en/articles/plant-species-diversity-and-plant-succ….
Underwood, Emma C., Robert C. Klinger, and Matthew L. Brooks. 2019. “Effects of Invasive Plants on Fire Regimes and Postfire Vegetation Diversity in an Arid Ecosystem”. Ecology and Evolution 9: 12421-35. doi:10.1002/ece3.5650.

9. Question 9

No
0
Very High
Cutandia memphitica is considered a valuable resources for grazing in arid regions where it occurs. It is palatable to both livestock and wildlife.

Omar, Samira Ahmad S. 1991. “Dynamics of Range Plants Following 10 Years of Protection in Arid Rangelands of Kuwait”. Journal of Arid Environments 21: 99-111. doi:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30732-8.
Bidak, Laila M., Sania A. Kamal, Marwa Waseem A. Halmy, and Selim Z. Heneidy. 2015. “Goods and Services Provided by Native Plants in Desert Ecosystems: Examples from the Northwestern Coastal Desert of Egypt”. Global Ecology and Conservation 3: 433-47. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2015.02.001.
Badawy, M.T., and K.M. Youssef. 2008. “IMPACT OF FEEDING SYSTEMS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL, REPRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF SHAMI GOATS DURING DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGES”. Egyptian Journal of Animal Production 45: 101-17. doi:10.21608/ejap.2008.93871.
Mohamed, S. A., J. Abbas, and M. Saleh. 1991. “Natural Diet of the Arabian Rheem Gazelle, Gazella Subgutturosa Marica”. Journal of Arid Environments 20: 371-74. doi:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30697-9.

10. Question 10

No
0
Very High
Cutandia memphitica does not generally grow higher than 35 cm, lacks thorns and does not grow in thickets.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.

11. Question 11

No
0
High
Cutandia memphitica is not described as being stoloniferous or rhizomatous and there is no evidence that it can sprout roots from it's nodes.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica in Flora of Pakistan”. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5\&taxon_id=250072558.

12. Question 12

No
0
Very High
There is no evidence that Cutandia memphitica can reproduce vegetatively.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.
2014. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Plants of the World Online \textbar Kew Science”. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396846-1.
2024. “Cutandia Memphitica Calflora”. https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=9081.

13. Question 13

Yes
1
Very High
Cutandia memphitica reproduces sexually and commonly produces viable seed.
Danin, Avinoam. 1996. “Plant Adaptations to Environmental Stresses in Desert Dunes”. In , edited by J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson, 133-52. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-60975-6_7.
Faraj, Ammar H., Ender S. Colak, and Dogan Isik. 2024. “The Influence of Temperature, Light, PH and Salinity on Germination and Growth of Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) Benth”. Advancements in Life Sciences., Vol. 11, No. 3, Pp. 565-571. https://www.als-journal.com/1135-24/.

14. Question 14

No
0
High
I was unable to find any counts of viable seeds in the literature, however we can infer the answer here. Faraj et al. (2024) collected Cutandia memphitica for germination experiments in Iraqi date palm farms and only yielded 30 seeds to work with, however the number of plants collected from was not disclosed. Personal experience attempting to harvest seeds from an individual plant yielded
Faraj, Ammar H., Ender S. Colak, and Dogan Isik. 2024. “The Influence of Temperature, Light, PH and Salinity on Germination and Growth of Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) Benth”. Advancements in Life Sciences., Vol. 11, No. 3, Pp. 565-571. https://www.als-journal.com/1135-24/.
Danin, A., and O. Fragman-Sapir. 2024. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Flora of Israel and Adjuscent Areas”. https://flora.org.il/en/plants/cutmem.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.
2024. “Observations of Cutandia Memphitica Worldwide”. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=161289.

15. Question 15

Yes
1
Low
Faraj et al. (2024) found a high germination rate for Cutandia memphitica in a lab setting. They reported that 30 seeds, which had been collected within 1 year prior and stored at 20-25C in paper bags, after sterilization, being placed in petri dishes with filter paper, and 3 days of incubation at 25C, 72.49% of seeds germinated. After 14 days of incubation at 15C 96.66% of the seeds had germinated. The study also revealed that 90% of the germinated seeds germinated in complete darkness. This is the only study I found for germinating Cutandia memphitica, and it was done under very specific parameters that did not emulate natural conditions. The purpose of the study was to define restrictions of germination so that it can be managed near date palm farms in Iraq, where, although it is native, is considered weedy in agriculture.

Faraj, Ammar H., Ender S. Colak, and Dogan Isik. 2024. “The Influence of Temperature, Light, PH and Salinity on Germination and Growth of Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) Benth”. Advancements in Life Sciences., Vol. 11, No. 3, Pp. 565-571. https://www.als-journal.com/1135-24/.

16. Question 16

Yes
1
High
Cutandia memphitica is a plant with an annual life cycle. This species generally germinates in the winter, flowers in the spring, and produces and disperses seeds in the late spring and early summer, additionally, Faraj et al. (2024) was able to germinate seeds within a year of collection.


Danin, Avinoam. 1996. “Plant Adaptations to Environmental Stresses in Desert Dunes”. In , edited by J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson, 133-52. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-60975-6_7.
Faraj, Ammar H., Ender S. Colak, and Dogan Isik. 2024. “The Influence of Temperature, Light, PH and Salinity on Germination and Growth of Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) Benth”. Advancements in Life Sciences., Vol. 11, No. 3, Pp. 565-571. https://www.als-journal.com/1135-24/.
Danin, A., and O. Fragman-Sapir. 2024. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Flora of Israel and Adjuscent Areas”. https://flora.org.il/en/plants/cutmem.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.

17. Question 17

No
0
High
Sample sizes for phenology are low in the documentation, observational data, and the literature, but all indicate that this Cutandia memphitica flowers from March to late April (sometimes starting as early as February), and produces ripe fruit from April to May.
Danin, A., and O. Fragman-Sapir. 2024. “Cutandia Memphitica (Spreng.) K.Richt. \textbar Flora of Israel and Adjuscent Areas”. https://flora.org.il/en/plants/cutmem.
2024. “Observations of Cutandia Memphitica Worldwide”. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=161289.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.

18. Question 18

No
0
Low
I was unable to find any evidence that animals are responsible for seed dispersal of Cutandia memphitica. However, it is a palatable grass and is often grazed by livestock and wildlife. There is nothing about the morphology of the plant that implies that it can hitch onto animal fur or hair (it lacks sticky glands, burrs, or hairs).

Badawy, M.T., and K.M. Youssef. 2008. “IMPACT OF FEEDING SYSTEMS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL, REPRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF SHAMI GOATS DURING DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGES”. Egyptian Journal of Animal Production 45: 101-17. doi:10.21608/ejap.2008.93871.
Mohamed, S. A., J. Abbas, and M. Saleh. 1991. “Natural Diet of the Arabian Rheem Gazelle, Gazella Subgutturosa Marica”. Journal of Arid Environments 20: 371-74. doi:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30697-9.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.

19. Question 19

Yes
1
Medium
Cutandia memphitical does not occur in riparian or otherwise wet or moist habitats, so the likelyhood of water dispersal is low. However, seeds are incased in proportionatly large glumes and spikelets detach easily when dry. These morphological features, combined with the arid, exposed, aeolian driven habitat the species can be found in, indicate that wind is a mode of dispersal for this taxon. Wind can easily disperse dried plant material over 100 meters.

Danin, A., and G. Orshan. 1999. Vegetation of Israel. 1: Desert and Coastal Vegetation. Leiden: Backhuys Publ.
Barkworth, Mary E. 2021. “Cutandia Memphitica - FNA”. http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Cutandia_memphitica.

20. Question 20

No
0
Low
In 2020 during vegetation surveys in the southern Mojave Desert we documented Cutandia memphitica within an area of high human disturbance. This region of the desert strictly closed to civilians, experiences high use of vehicles and equipment, and is approximately 4 miles away from the vivilian boundary. We did not find any Cutandia memphitica between the collection location and the civilian boundary. While there is no other plausible explanation for the occurrence of this species than it establishing from seed that was carried into the region via training equipment, this is an anecdotal and singular observation and does not address the frequency of dispersal in this method.

CCH2, Portal. 2024. CCH2 Portal - Occurrence Records. https://www.cch2.org/portal/collections/list.php?usethes=1\&taxa=138752.

Total PRE Score

7
20
71

PRE Score Legend

The PRE Score is calculated by adding the point totals for each (answered) question.

< 13 : Low Potential Risk
13 - 15 : Moderate Potential Risk
> 15 : High Potential Risk

Questions Answered Legend

It is important to answer at least 16 questions to consider a PRE Score as "valid".

≥ 16 : Valid (80% or more questions answered)
≤ 15 : Invalid (not enough questions answered)

Evaluation Credits and Citation


Screener:  Melanie Davis

 

Below is a recommend citation when referencing this evaluation in other works:

Davis, Melanie. "Cutandia memphitica -- California" Plant Risk Evaluator (PRE) published 2024-09-29 https://pretool.org/evaluations/4931

 


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Evaluation Reviewers

Chris McDonald reviewed on 2025-02-12
Elizabeth Brusati reviewed on 2025-02-07
Jutta Burger reviewed on 2025-01-29
Lauren Quon reviewed on 2024-12-30
Ron Vanderhoff reviewed on 2024-10-09

 

Associated Project

2023-2025 Western IPM Project

This project intends to support the expanded use of the online PRE tool to more Western States and nations, and to explore the use of the PRE results for each partner region. Along with the direct benefit from the plant assessments, this project will also provide a platform through which to collaborate on a range of efforts related to preventing introduction of invasive plants through horticulture. Each partner can share their expertise on effort such as providing information on safe landscaping alternatives, surveying nurseries for data on what is being sold, comparing species priorities.

 

Associated Organizations, Agencies, and Institutions

California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC)

 

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