Cenchrus

buffelgrasses
sandburs
sand spurs
Cenchrus longispinus[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Paniceae
Genus: Cenchrus
L.[2]
Type species
Cenchrus echinatus[3][4]
L.
Synonyms[2][5]
  • Cenchropsis Nash
  • Echinaria Fabr. 1759, rejected name not Desf. 1799
  • Nastus Lunell 1915, illegitimate homonym not Juss. 1789
  • Raram Adans.
  • Runcina Allamand
  • Odontelytrum Hack.
  • Pseudochaetochloa Hitchc.
A sand spur, close up.
Sand spur in front of a centimeter scale

Cenchrus is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family.[4][6] Its species are native to many countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands.[7][8]

Common names include buffelgrasses, sandburs, and sand spur. Such names allude to the sharp, spine-covered burrs characterizing the inflorescences of the members of the genus.[9]

Some botanists include the genus within the related genus Pennisetum.

Species[5][10][11][12]
  1. Cenchrus abyssinicus (Hack.) Morrone - Ethiopia, Tanzania, Yemen, Limpopo, Mpumalanga
  2. Cenchrus agrimonioides Trin. – kāmanomano - Hawaiian Islands
  3. Cenchrus arnhemicus (F.Muell.) Morrone - Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory)
  4. Cenchrus biflorus Roxb. – kram-kram - Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent, Madagascar
  5. Cenchrus brevisetosus (B.K.Simon) B.K.Simon - Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland)
  6. Cenchrus brownii Roem. & Schult. - North + South America, West Indies
  7. Cenchrus caliculatus Cav. - Australia, New Zealand, assorted islands in Pacific + Indian Oceans
  8. Cenchrus ciliaris L. – buffelgrass - Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent, Sicily; naturalized in parts of North + South America, Southeast Asia, various islands; considered noxious weed in some places
  9. Cenchrus distichophyllus - Cuba
  10. Cenchrus echinatus L. – common sandbur - North + South America, West Indies; naturalized in parts of Africa, southern Asia, various islands
  11. Cenchrus elymoides - Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland)
  12. Cenchrus gracillimus Nash - West Indies, southeastern USA
  13. Cenchrus longispinus (Hack.) Fern. – mat sandbur - Canada, USA, Mexico
  14. Cenchrus mitis Andersson - Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique
  15. Cenchrus multiflorus J.Presl - Mexico, Central America
  16. Cenchrus myosuroides Kunth - North + South America, West Indies
  17. Cenchrus palmeri Vasey - Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Arizona
  18. Cenchrus pennisetiformis Steud. - Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent
  19. Cenchrus pilosus Kunth - from central Mexico to northern Chile
  20. Cenchrus platyacanthus Andersson - Galápagos
  21. Cenchrus prieurii - Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar
  22. Cenchrus robustus - Queensland, New South Wales
  23. Cenchrus setiger Vahl - Sahara, East Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar, Andaman & Nicobar
  24. Cenchrus somalensis - Somalia
  25. Cenchrus spinifex Cav. – coastal sandbur - North + South America, West Indies
  26. Cenchrus tribuloides L. – sanddune sandbur - North + South America, West Indies
Formerly included[5]

several species now considered better suited to other genera: Anthephora Centotheca Dactyloctenium Echinaria Echinolaena Hackelochloa Hilaria Pennisetum Phragmites Scleria Setaria Trachys Tragus Tribolium

See also

References

  1. ↑ Line drawing of Cenchrus longispinus from the USDA PLANTS Database. Source: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=ceca6_001_avd.tif Original source: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 167.
  2. 1 2 "Genus: Cenchrus L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1999-03-09. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  3. ↑ lectotype designated by Green, Prop. Brit. Bot.: 193 (1929)
  4. 1 2 Tropicos, Cenchrus L.
  5. 1 2 3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  6. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 1049-1050 in Latin
  7. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 552 蒺藜草属 ji li cao shu Cenchrus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1049. 1753.
  8. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Cenchrus includes photos and range maps for several species
  9. ↑ "What is a Sandspur anyway?". shellkey.org. 2008-10-20. Archived from the original on 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2009-11-13. External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. ↑ "Cenchrus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  11. ↑ "GRIN Species Records of Cenchrus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  12. ↑ The Plant List search for Cenchrus
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