Poaceae
Cenchrus

Cenchrus gracilescens (Hochst.) Zon

First published in Blumea 64: 214 (2019)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. Tropical Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry 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. Rhizomes short. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 45-60 cm long; woody; rooting from lower nodes. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate, or involute; 10-20 cm long; 3-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear; 3-7.5 cm long; 0.5-0.8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; cuneate; 10-20 mm long; base obtuse; base villous. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; 15-30 in principal whorl; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 14-24 mm long; terete; flexible; ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.5-4 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; acute; 3.5-4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1-2 mm long; 0.33-0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.5-3 mm long; 0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3-5 -veined; scaberulous; rough above; acute, or acuminate; mucronate. Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5-4 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3-5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; membranous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 2 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles connate below; 1 of their length connate.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. FTA 1993.
[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

    • '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/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. 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 2026. 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