- Family: Poaceae Barnhart
- Genus: Cenchrus L.
Cenchrus riparius (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Morrone
- Genus: Cenchrus L.
This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to E. Tropical Africa.
Descriptions
According to Flora of Tropical East Africa under the synonym Pennisetum dowsonii
[FTEA]Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974
- Habit
- Perennial, with long stout rhizomes and stolons forming a mat; culms 15–45 cm. high, somewhat spongy, ascending from a creeping base.
- Leaves
- Leaf-blades linear, 7–35 cm. long, 3–10 mm. wide, flat or folded.
- Inflorescences
- Panicle linear, 4–10 cm. long, often enclosed below by the uppermost sheath, rhachis with shallow angular ribs below the flat stumpless scars, scaberulous; involucre enclosing 1–3 sessile or shortly pedicelled (up to 0.5 mm.) spikelets, with or without an indistinct oblong stipe up to 0.5 mm.; bristles glabrous, the longest 6–15 mm.
- Spikelets
- Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 6–12 mm. long, acute to acuminate; lower glume minute or suppressed; upper glume up to 1.5 mm. long; lower lemma 1/3–2/3 as long as the spikelet, barren; upper lemma as long as the spikelet, membranous.
- Habitat
- In swamps; 1800–2700 m.
- Distribution
- K3 K4 T2
According to GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora under the synonym Pennisetum riparium
[GB]- Habit
- Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes elongated. Stolons present. Culms decumbent; 10-150 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 4-30 cm long; 2-10 mm wide.
- Inflorescences
- Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Panicle spiciform; linear; 2-15 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1-2 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 3-6 mm long; base obtuse. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 7-15 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.
- Spikelets
- Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute, or acuminate; 6-10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
- Fertile
- Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute, or acuminate; 6-10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
- Glume
- Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.05 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume ovate; 0.25-0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
- Florets
- Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 0.8-1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5-7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 6-10 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5-7 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea membranous.
- Flowers
- Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 3 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles connate below.
- Distribution
- Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical.
- Reference
- Paniceae. FTEA.
According to Flora of Tropical East Africa under the synonym Pennisetum riparium
[FTEA]Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974
- Habit
- Perennial, with long stout stolons and rhizomes forming a low matted sward, or with tall ascending culms; culms 10–150 cm. high, ascending from a creeping base.
- Leaves
- Leaf-blades linear, 4–30 cm. long, 2–10 mm. wide, flat or folded.
- Inflorescences
- Panicle linear, 2–15 cm. long, often enclosed below by the uppermost sheath; rhachis with shallow angular ribs below the flat stumpless scars, scaberulous; involucre enclosing 1–2 subsessile spikelets, without a distinct stipe; bristles glabrous, the longest 7–15 mm.
- Spikelets
- Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 6–10 mm. long, acute to acuminate; lower glume minute, up to 0.5 mm., upper glume 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet; lower lemma from 4/5 to as long as the spikelet, ♂ or barren, the upper similar in texture.
- Habitat
- In swamps; also semi-cultivated around habitations, being gathered and burnt to yield salt from the ashes; 1400–2600 m.
- Distribution
- K3 K4 T2 T7 U3
Images
Distribution
Synonyms
Other Data
Cenchrus riparius (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Morrone appears in other Kew resources:
Herbarium Catalogue (24 records)
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
May 1, 1976 | Bogdan, A. [AB4179], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489778 | |
Mar 1, 1976 | Edwards, D.C. [1680], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489770 | |
Mar 1, 1976 | Edwards, D.C. [1680], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489781 | |
Bogdan, A. [AB3220], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489776 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB2792], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489782 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB4456], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489777 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB4110], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489780 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB5362], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489784 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB3454], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489768 | ||
Bogdan, A. [2790], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489772 | ||
Bogdan, A. [AB3235], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489774 | ||
Schimper [84], Ethiopia | Pennisetum riparium | K000281188 | isotype | |
Schimper [84], Ethiopia | Pennisetum riparium | K000281189 | isotype | |
Schimper [84], Ethiopia | Pennisetum riparium | K000281190 | isotype | |
Linton, A. [171], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489775 | ||
Dowson, W.J. [562], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000281210 | holotype | |
Snowden, J.D. [1227], Uganda | Pennisetum riparium | K000281212 | holotype | |
Snowden, J.D. [1227], Uganda | Pennisetum riparium | K000281211 | holotype | |
Snowden, J.D. [1227], Uganda | Pennisetum riparium | K000281213 | holotype | |
Battiscombe, E. [507], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000281209 | holotype | |
Edwards, D.C. [1477], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489785 | ||
Edwards, D.C. [1648], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489769 | ||
Kabuye, C.H.S. [101], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489771 | ||
Kahurananga, J. [2868], Kenya | Pennisetum riparium | K000489773 |
Bibliography
First published in Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 106: 129 (2010)
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 7: 1-430. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
- Ndabaneze, P. (1989). Catalogue des Graminées du Burundi Lejeunia; Revue de Botanique, n.s., 132: 1-127.
- Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. (1982). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 3: 451-898.
Sources
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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 Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0