SafePlants

Centropodia: A Genus of Grasses

Centropodia is a genus within the grass family (Poaceae) native to Asia and Africa.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Centropodia Rchb.
• Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
• Kingdom: Plantae (Land Plants)
• Synonyms: Asthenatherum Nevski (Centropodia predates Asthenatherum and replaces it)

Species within the Genus

The Plant List recognizes 4 accepted species names within the Centropodia genus.

• Centropodia forsskalii (Vahl) Cope
• Centropodia fragilis (Guinet &amp Sauvage) Cope
• Centropodia glauca (Nees) Cope

Distribution and Habitat

• Centropodia forsskalii is found in the Sahara, Middle East, and Central Asia.
• Centropodia fragilis has been observed growing on sand mounds in Southern Qatar.

Morphological Characteristics

• Centropodia species are perennial grasses.
• Habit: Caespitose (tufted)
• Culms: Can be erect, geniculately ascending, or decumbent (lying down but with the tip growing upwards). Typically range from 3-120 cm in height.
• Culm-internodes: Solid, glaucous (covered with a waxy bloom giving a blue-gray appearance), and distally pubescent (hairy towards the tip).
• Leaf-blades of at least one species are deciduous at the ligule.
• Rhizomes: Can be absent, short, or elongated depending on the species.

Genetic Information

• Partial sequences of the chloroplast trnK gene intron and matK gene for maturase K have been documented for Centropodia forskalii.

Synonymy Notes

• Centropodia glauca is also known as Gha grass.
• Synonyms for Centropodia glauca include Asthenatherum forskahlei Auctt. and Asthenatherum glaucum (Nees) Nevski.

Additional Information Sources

• World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
• Euro+Med Plantbase
• The PLANTS Database (USDA, NRCS)
• GrassBase (www.kew.org/data/grasses-db/)
• Namibia Biodiversity Database
• ARKive