GrassWildPerennial

Cenchrus setigerus Vahl

Choti dhaman

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Description

Cenchrus setigerus is a perennial tufted grass, usually 20–80 cm tall, with erect to spreading culms. The plant forms dense tufts and may develop short rhizomes. Stems are cylindrical, smooth, and usually branched from the base. Leaves are linear, narrow, and flat, generally 10–30 cm long, with rough margins. Leaf sheaths are smooth or slightly hairy, and the ligule is membranous. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical spike, usually 3–10 cm long, consisting of compact clusters of spikelets surrounded by stiff bristles. Bristles are prominent and give the seed head a spiny appearance. Flowers are bisexual, reduced, and wind-pollinated. The fruit is a small caryopsis enclosed within the persistent bristly involucre.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative

Perennial desert grass. Dense tuft formation. Narrow leaves.

Floral

Compact cylindrical burs. Stiff bristles surrounding spikelets.

Fruit & Seed

Spiny dispersal units.

Distribution

Native range: Native to South Asia, Arabian regions.

In Pakistan: Found in Pakistan, India, Middle East. Common dry areas.

Phenology

Flowering

Fruiting

Flowering: August–October Fruiting: September–November

Ethnobotany & Uses

Fodder Importance

Used as Pasture grass, Livestock forage in arid areas.

Ecological Importance

Stabilizes desert soils. Helps prevent wind erosion. Supports desert biodiversity.

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Where it grows on campus

North-North-West Campus1North-East Campus1

individuals mapped across 2 zones

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Taxonomic Notes

Cenchrus setigerus is closely related to C. ciliaris.