Cenchrus

Belongs within: Paniceae.

Cenchrus, the buffel grasses, is a genus of tropical and subtropical grasses with spikelets surrounded by a burr-like involucre (Gardner 1952). The birdwood grass C. setigerus has antrorsely scabrid bristles with the inner bristles rigid and united for up to half their length. The black buffel grass C. ciliaris and white buffel grass C. pennisetiformis have the inner bristles plumose-ciliate in the lower part, slender and scabrous in the upper part and ending in soft points (Gardner 1952).

Characters (Gardner 1952): Annuals or perennials; leaf-blade flat and flaccid, or short and rigidly convolute; ligule membranous, ciliate or reduced to fringe of hairs; involucres arranged in simple terminal spikes or racemes. Spikelets usually narrow, 1–5 enclosed in an involucre, falling entire with involucre; involucre peduncled, consisting of several series of slender or flattened bristles hardened and connate at base, one usually longer than others. Florets sometimes 2; upper bisexual; lower, when present, male. Glumes muticous, unequal; lower often minute; upper equalling or slightly shorter than spikelet. Lemmas 2; lower equalling or more often exceeding upper lemma, sometimes subtending a male floret. Paleas 2, similar to their respective lemmas. Stamens 3. Styles connate at base; stigma plumose. Grain free, included in slightly hardened lemma and palea.

Cenchrus
    |--C. australisB78
    |--C. biflorusLK14
    |--C. calyculatus [incl. C. anomoplexis]C06
    |--C. ciliaris [=Pennisetum ciliare; incl. P. cenchroides]G52
    |    |--C. c. var. ciliarisD17
    |    `--‘Pennisetum ciliare’ var. pallensD17
    |--C. echinatusLK14
    |--C. incertus [incl. C. pauciflorus]V72
    |--C. inflexusB78
    |--C. longispinusKM08
    |--C. myosuroidesS06
    |--C. pennisetiformisPP07
    |--C. setigerusG52
    `--C. tribuloidesS06
         |--C. t. var. tribuloidesS06
         `--C. t. var. macrocephalusS06

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[B78] Bentham, G. 1878. Flora Australiensis: A description of the plants of the Australian Territory vol. 7. Roxburghiaceae to Filices. L. Reeve & Co.: London.

[C06] Cheeseman, T. F. 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora. John Mackay, Government Printer: Wellington.

[D17] Diels, L. 1917. Beiträge zur Flora der Zentral-Sahara und ihrer Pflanzengeographie. Nach der Sammelausbeute des Freiherrn Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 54 (Beiblatt 120): 51–155.

[G52] Gardner, C. A. 1952. Flora of Western Australia vol. 1 pt 1. Gramineae. William H. Wyatt: Perth.

[KM08] Keighery, G. J., & W. Muir. 2008. Vegetation and vascular flora of Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 75: 11–19.

[LK14] Lyons, M. N., G. J. Keighery, L. A. Gibson & T. Handasyde. 2014. Flora and vegetation communities of selected islands off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 205–244.

[PP07] Pandey, R. P., & P. M. Padhye. 2007. Studies on phytodiversity of Arid Machia Safari Park-Kailana in Jodhpur (Rajasthan). Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49: 15–78.

[S06] Stuckert, T. 1906. Segunda contribución al conocimiento de las gramináceas Argentinas. Anales del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires, serie 3, 6: 409–555.

[V72] Voss, E. G. 1972. Michigan Flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium.