Poaceae
Cenchrus

Cenchrus caliculatus Cav.

First published in Icon. 5: 39 (1799)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Lesser Sunda Islands to N. & E. Australia and Pacific. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; robust; 30-200(-300) cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1-1.6 mm long. Leaf-blades 5-56 cm long; 1-19 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation distinct. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle hirsute above. Panicle spiciform; linear; loose (internodes 1-3.2mm); 4-23.5 cm long; 1-2.8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular, or with briefly decurrent ribs; pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1-3 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a disc below; with 0.5 mm connate; oblong, or ovate, or globose; 4-10.8 mm long; base bluntly stipitate; base 0.3-3 mm long; base pubescent. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; 8-12 in principal whorl; inner bristles longer than outer; with longest bristle scarcely emergent, or with one conspicuously longer bristle; 4-10 mm long; terete; without grooves; rigid; retrorsely scaberulous; pubescent, or ciliate; spinose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 3.8-6.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 3.8-6.5 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; 1.2-3.5 mm long; 0.3-0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 2.4-4.8 mm long; 0.6-0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong, or ovate; 3.5-6.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.8-6.1 mm long; cartilaginous, or coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous, or coriaceous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Asia-tropical: Malesia and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, and north-central.
Reference
Paniceae. De Lisle 2000.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • 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

    • 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 Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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