Taxon:  Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone



Summary
Genus:
Cenchrus
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Paniceae
Subtribe:
Cenchrinae
Nomen number:
464256
Place of publication:
Ann. Bot. (Oxford) ser. 2, 106:127.  2010
Verified:
01/17/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
2108 (1354  active, 1247  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Chemisquy, M. A. et al. 2010. Phylogenetic studies favour the unification of Pennisetum, Cenchrus and Odontelytrum (Poaceae): a combined nuclear, plastid and morphological analysis, and nomenclatural combinations in Cenchrus. Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 106:107-130.
  4. Gutiérrez, H. F. 2015. Las especies americanas del género Cenchrus s.l. (Poaceae, Panioideae, Paniceae). Darwiniana 3:114-200.
  5. Simon, B. K. 2010. New taxa, nomenclatural changes and notes on Australian grasses in the tribe Paniceae (Poaceae: Panicoideae). Austrobaileya 8:187-219.
  6. Tabaeizadeh, Z. et al. 1986. Somatic hybridization in the Gramineae: Saccharum officinarum L. (sugarcane) and Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum. (pearl millet). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83:5616-5619.
  7. Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78. Note: = Cenchrus spicatus (L.) Cav.
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Note: food crop
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishbajra  11961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
Englishbulrush millet  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishcattail millet  1Grubben, G. J. H. & Soetjipto Partohardjono, eds. 1996. Cereals. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 10:119-123.
Englishhorse millet  1Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
EnglishIndian millet  1Tabaeizadeh, Z. et al. 1986. Somatic hybridization in the Gramineae: Saccharum officinarum L. (sugarcane) and Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum. (pearl millet). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83:5616-5619.
Englishpearl millet  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchmil africain  2Demilly, D. et al. 2001. Liste alphabétique des principales espèces de plantes cultivées et de mauvaises herbes. Noms latins et noms français, ed. 7 GEVES-SNES, Beaucouzé, France.
Frenchmillet à chandelles  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Frenchmillet perle  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanNegerhirse  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
GermanPerlhirse  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
India (Hindi)bajira  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Italianmiglio perlato  2International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Portuguesemilheto  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishmijo negro  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishmijo perla  2Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
Swedishpärlhirs  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chineseyu gu  2Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
2CultivatedAfrica Africa  Busso, C. S. et al. 2000. Genetic diversity within and among landraces of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) under farm management in West Africa. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 47:561-568.
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Oumar, I. et al. 2008. Phylogeny and origin of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) as revealed by microsatellite loci. Theor. Appl. Genet. 117:489-497.
2CultivatedNorthern America United States  Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesIllinois Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesMissouri Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesNebraska Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesOklahoma Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesWisconsin Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaNorthwestern U.S.A.United StatesWashington Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesArkansas Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesGeorgia Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesLouisiana Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesNorth Carolina Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesSouth Carolina Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesTennessee Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesVirginia Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
3AdventiveNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesCalifornia Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
Cultivated
Africa
  • REGION: Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
Northern America
  • REGION: United States
Adventive
Northern America
  • NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin]
  • NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Washington]
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
  • SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [California]

Reference(s)
  1. Barkworth, M. E. et al. 2007. Manual of grasses for North America Intermountain Herbarium, Logan, Utah. 551. Note: map
  2. Busso, C. S. et al. 2000. Genetic diversity within and among landraces of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) under farm management in West Africa. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 47:561-568.
  3. Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
  4. Oumar, I. et al. 2008. Phylogeny and origin of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) as revealed by microsatellite loci. Theor. Appl. Genet. 117:489-497.
  5. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfodderfor birdseedRehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics Note: = Pennisetum americanum
Animal foodforage Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
Environmentalerosion control University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Environmentalornamental Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
Environmentalsoil improver University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Human foodcereal Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Weedseed contaminantpotentialCIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. 1968-1974. The CIBA-GEIGY Weed Tables
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=464256. Accessed 17 April 2026.