Amaranthaceae
Centemopsis

Centemopsis sordida C.C.Towns.

First published in Kew Bull. 36: 681 (1982)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Kenya. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Amaranthaceae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Plant up to 50 cm. tall, appearing suffruticose but duration doubtful since the type (the only known specimen) is of secondary growth after grazing or lopping.
Morphology Stem
Stem wiry, tetragonous above and terete below, strongly striate with pale ridges, sparingly furnished with multicellular hairs, the branches divaricate-ascending, numerous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves fasciculate, thick, linear, 12.5–30 × 1–2 mm., somewhat narrowed below, abruptly narrowed at the apex, obtuse or retuse with a yellowish mucro, glabrous (with scattered multicellular hairs when very young), lower margins sometimes with distant scabridities.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence dirty white, shortly cylindrical to subglobose, 1–2.25 × 0.8–1 cm.; axis densely white-lanate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts ± 2 mm., deltoid-ovate, hyaline and membranous with a firm, stramineous, shortly excurrent midrib, glabrous to ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles
Bracteoles broadly oblong, ± obtuse, 3 mm., hyaline save for the shortly excurrent midrib, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary in the axils of the bracts.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Outer 2 tepals broadly elliptic-ovate, ± 4 × 2.5 mm., glabrous, evenly rounded from base to apex and broadly hyaline-margined throughout, the firm central area with 8–10 delicate lateral nerves in addition to the shortly excurrent midrib; inner 2 tepals spathulate-oblong, ± 4 × 1.75 mm., the hyaline margins much wider above, the central part with 2–4 lateral nerves; third petal intermediate in form; outer tepals in particular with the midrib and 2–4 lateral nerves finally somewhat indurate at the base, slightly sulcate between these.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments filiform, ± 3 mm.; pseudo-staminodes ± 1.5 mm., spathulate, densely fimbriate around the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary ovoid, glabrous and delicate below, firm above, with a median lanate band.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style slender, 3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Mature fruit unknown.
Habitat
Open Commiphora bushland on very sandy soil, Acacia nubica present; ground flora of ephemerals, very few perennial herbs all in shelter of bushes; 390 m.
Distribution
K1 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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