Cenchrus

For other uses, see Cenchrus (disambiguation).

Cenchrus
Cenchrus longispinus[4]
Cenchrus echinatus burr
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Supertribe: Panicodae
Tribe: Paniceae
Subtribe: Cenchrinae
Genus: Cenchrus
L. (1753)[1]
Type species
Cenchrus echinatus[2][3]
Synonyms[5]
  • Amphochaeta Andersson (1855)
  • Beckeropsis Fig. & De Not. (1853)
  • Catatherophora Steud. (1829)
  • Cenchropsis Nash (1903)
  • Echinaria Fabr. (1759), rejected name not Desf. 1799
  • Eriochaeta Fig. & De Not. (1853)
  • Gymnotrix P.Beauv. (1812)
  • Kikuyuochloa H.Scholz (2006)
  • Lloydia Delile (1844), nom. illeg.
  • Odontelytrum Hack. (1898)
  • Penicillaria Willd. (1809)
  • Pennisetum Rich. (1805)
  • Pseudochaetochloa Hitchc. (1924)
  • Raram Adans. (1763)
  • Runcina Allamand (1770)
  • Sericura Hassk. (1842)

Cenchrus is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family.[3][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.

  1. ^ "Genus: Cenchrus L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 9 March 1999. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  2. ^ lectotype designated by Green, Prop. Brit. Bot.: 193 (1929)
  3. ^ a b Tropicos, Cenchrus L.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Cenchrus L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  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?". shelkey.org. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.