SafePlants

No images found for this plant ID: 9369.

Ensure images are uploaded to the Media Library and tagged with "9369" in the "plant_image_tag" taxonomy.

Safe for Children?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Dogs?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Cats?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Reptiles?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Centotheca

Scientific Name: Centotheca

Family: Poaceae

Category: Monocot

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Centotheca lappacea (L.) Desv.

Also known as Barbed Grass, Centotheca lappacea is a species in the grass family (Poaceae).

Considerations for Pets

  • The plant is commonly known as Barbed Grass.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Centotheca lappacea (L.) Desv.
  • Family: Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
  • Subfamily: Panicoideae, Centothecoideae
  • Tribe: Centotheceae
  • Synonyms:
    • Cenchrus lappaceus Linnaeus
    • Centotheca latifolia Trin.
    • Centotheca lappacea var. longilamina (Ohwi) Bor (This is a synonym).
    • Megastachya madagascariensis
  • Nomenclatural Note: The genus name was originally spelled "Centosteca," but "Centotheca" is the conserved spelling.

Distribution and Habitat

  • Centotheca is a genus of plants native to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
  • Centotheca lappacea is distributed pan-tropically.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Centotheca lappacea is a perennial caespitose (tufted) grass.
  • Culms are erect, typically 30-100 cm long.
  • Ligule is an eciliate (lacking cilia) membrane, 1-2 mm long.
  • Leaf blades taper towards the base. Leaves are 6-20 x 1.3-3.2 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, base oblique, apex acute or acuminate.
  • Culms are of moderate stature, 30-100 cm tall, glabrous (smooth). Culm nodes are glabrous.
  • Leaf sheaths are longer than internodes.

Ecological Role

  • The grass is found in tropical land-use systems.

Further Information

  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K) holds herbarium specimens of Centotheca lappacea.
  • Information is available from The Plant List, IPNI (International Plant Names Index), Australian Plant Name Index, and NYBG (New York Botanical Garden) Virtual Herbarium.
  • Discover Life provides information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Centotheca lappacea.
  • World Checklist of Selected Plant Families provides information on Centotheca.