Cenchrus echinatus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1050 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central & S. U.S.A. to Tropical & Subtropical America. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

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

Morphology General Habit
Coarse annual; culms 15–90 cm. high, ascending.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 4–25 cm. long, 3–10 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 2–10 cm. long; involucres globose, 5–10 mm. long; inner spines flattened, connate for ± 1/2 their length to form a deep cup, pubescent, retrorsely barbellate; outer spines rigid, mostly shorter than the inner, ± divergent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–3 per burr, 5–7 mm. long.
Habitat
Roadside and waste places; 0–900 m.
Distribution
K7 T3 T6 now established as a weed throughout the tropics and subtropics
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
abrojo, cachorro, cadillo, cadillo arroz, cadillo carretón, cadillo carretón morado, cadillo correntino, cadillo de paja, cadillo tigre, carretón, carretón morado, garretón, pegapega, roseta
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13506981/192150221

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
SOFT BUR
Morphology Culms
Culms ascending from a branched decumbent base, often rooting at the lower nodes, 25–60 cm long or longer
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 6–20 cm long, 3–9 mm broad; sheath with marginal silky hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spikes 3–7(–10) cm long; burs truncate at base, the body 4–7 mm high and as wide or wider; longest bristles about equal in length to the lobes of the bur in length; lobes of the bur about 10, erect or bent inward, the tips hard and spine-like; spikelets about 4.
Distribution
Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac.
Ecology
Common throughout tropical and subtropical America, a weed of fields and open waste ground.
[Cayman]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Caldas, Casanare, Cauca, Huila, Magdalena, Nariño, Quindío, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vichada.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Pega-pega, Purula
[UPFC]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit
Annual 30–90 cm. high.
[FWTA]

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms geniculately ascending; 15-90 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 4-25 cm long; 3-10 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear; interrupted (or lax); 2-10 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2-3 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a cup below; with 2-5 mm connate; globose; 5-10 mm long; base obconical. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; inner bristles longer than outer; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 2-5 mm long; flattened; rigid; retrorsely scaberulous; pubescent; spinose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 5-7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 5-7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.3-3.4 mm long; 0.33-0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 3.8-5.7 mm long; 0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; obtuse, or acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 5-7 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; truncate.
Distribution
Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
Diagnostic
Involucre base 2.2-3.6mm wide.
[GB]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • 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
  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images
  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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