Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Cenchrus L.

Cenchrus trisetus (Leeke) Morrone

This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to Zimbabwe.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms 100-300 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15-45 cm long; 3-18 mm wide; glaucous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary. Panicle spiciform; linear; 2-7 cm long; 0.4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis with rounded ribs; scaberulous; glabrous, or pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 0.5-3 mm long; base truncate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; few; 2-6(-15) in principal whorl; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 3-15 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.8-4(-5) mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.8-4(-5) mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.5 mm long; 0.1-0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.8-1.5 mm long; 0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5-7 -veined; scaberulous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.8-5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea membranous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; anther tip smooth.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.

[FZ]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Perennial.
Morphology Culms
Culms 1–3 m. high.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 3–18 mm. wide, broadly linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicles 2–7 cm. long, slender, axillary and gathered into a scanty false inflorescence; rhachis with rounded ribs and distinct peduncle stumps, scaberulous to puberulous; involucre of 2–5(15) bristles around a single spikelet; bristles glabrous, the longest 3–15 mm., the others nearly always shorter than spikelet and often obscure.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.8–4(5) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Inferior glume c. 0.5 mm. long, truncate to subacute; superior glume 0.8–1.5 mm. long, usually acute, rarely obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Lemmas as long as spikelet, membranous.

[FTEA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; culms 1–3 m. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades broadly linear, 15–45 cm. long, 3–18 mm. wide, glaucous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicles axillary, slender, 2–7 cm. long, gathered into a scanty false panicle; rhachis with rounded ribs and distinct peduncle-stumps, scaberulous to puberulous; involucre of 2–5(–15) bristles, truncate at the base; bristles glabrous, the longest 3–15 mm., the others nearly always shorter than the spikelet and often obscure.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2.8–4(–5) mm. long; lower glume ± 0.5 mm. long, truncate to subacute; upper glume 0.8–1.5 mm. long, usually acute, rarely obtuse; lemmas as long as the spikelet, membranous, scaberulous, the lower barren.
Habitat
Glades and clearings in upland evergreen forest; 1000–2800 m.
Distribution
K3 K5 K6 T6 U3

Native to:

Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Cenchrus trisetus (Leeke) Morrone appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Mar 1, 1976 Schimper [1411], Ethiopia Pennisetum trisetum K000281130 isotype Yes
Schlieben, H.J. [2121], Tanzania Pennisetum trisetum K000281227 isotype Yes

First published in Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 106: 130 (2010)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6 Scientific Data 8: 215.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. (1982). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 3: 451-898.
  • Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 7: 1-430. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0