Poaceae
Centropodia

Centropodia forskaolii (Vahl) Cope

First published in Kew Bull. 37: 658 (1983)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Sahara to Central Asia and SW. Iran. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland 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. Cataphylls evident. Culms decumbent; 3-50 cm long. Culm-internodes solid; glaucous; distally pubescent. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; flat, or involute; 0.7-7 cm long; 2-5 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent. Leaf-blade apex pungent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Panicle contracted; oblong; 1-20 cm long; 0.5-2 cm wide. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes; definite. Floret callus evident; curved; 1 mm long; pubescent; pungent; disarticulating obliquely.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes; definite. Floret callus evident; curved; 1 mm long; pubescent; pungent; disarticulating obliquely.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume elliptic; 7-9 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Lower glume surface asperulous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7-9 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 4-5 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner above; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy between veins; with a transverse row of hair tufts; bearing 2-6 hair tufts in all. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.4-0.45 of lemma length; acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; straight, or geniculate; 3-5 mm long overall; without a column, or with twisted column. Palea 0.75 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1-1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: north, west tropical, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Arundineae. FTA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Loosely tufted perennial
Morphology Leaves
Pungent glaucous leaves
Morphology Roots
Coarse stringy roots
Ecology
A desert grass.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • 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/

  • 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