Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Cenchrus L.

Cenchrus cafer (Bory) Veldkamp

This species is accepted, and its native range is Madagascar, Réunion.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect; 30-50 cm long; 1 -noded. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 10-15 cm long; 2-3 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; grooved adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle pubescent above. Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; straight; 6-10 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis with rounded ribs; pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 10-15 mm long; base obtuse; base 0.5 mm long; base pubescent. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; in one whorl; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 20-40 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; 4 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; 4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 mm long; 0.25-0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 4 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; setaceously attenuate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 mm long; 0.5 length of lemma; chartaceous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 1.5 mm long; purple.
Distribution
Africa: western Indian ocean.
Reference
Paniceae. Gr Maur 1999.

Native to:

Madagascar, Réunion

Cenchrus cafer (Bory) Veldkamp appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Blumea 59: 71 (2014)

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., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Hubbard, C.E. & Vaughan, R.E. (1940). Grasses of Mauritius and Rodriguez: 1-128. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London.

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

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