Taxon: Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone

Summary

Genus:

Cenchrus

Family:

Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)

Subfamily:

Panicoideae

Tribe:

Paniceae

Subtribe:

Cenchrinae

Nomen number:

464278

Place of publication:

Ann. Bot. (Oxford) ser. 2, 106:129. 2010

Verified:

01/17/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

96 (47 active, 41 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Pennisetum benthamii Steud.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

African plant database. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve.
University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
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.
Devos, K. M. et al. 2009. Chapter 8. Pearl Millet. In: Kole. C., ed., Genome mapping and molecular breeding in plants (7 vols.) 1:303-323.
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Lowe, A. J. et al. 2003. Characterisation of germplasm accessions of Napier grass (pennisetum purpureum and P. purpureum × P. glaucum Hybrids) and comparison with farm clones using RAPD. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 50:121-132.
Veldkamp, J. F. 2014. A revision of Cenchrus incl. Pennisetum (Gramineae) in Malesia with some general nomenclatural notes. Blumea 59:59-75.
Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	barner grass	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	elephant grass	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Merker grass	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
English	Napier grass	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Afrikaans	olifantsgras	2	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
French	napier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Elefantengras	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese	capim-elefante	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	capim-napiê	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	capim-napier-elefante	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	hierba elefante	2	Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
Spanish	pasto elefante	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia		s.	Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Sierra Leone			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			African plant database. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Central African Republic			Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Congo			African plant database. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve.
2	Cultivated					cult. in tropics	Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
2	Cultivated	Africa		Africa			Lowe, A. J. et al. 2003. Characterisation of germplasm accessions of Napier grass (pennisetum purpureum and P. purpureum × P. glaucum Hybrids) and comparison with farm clones using RAPD. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 50:121-132.
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northern Africa	Algeria			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
3	Adventive	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa			African plant database. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve.
3	Adventive	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Israel			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Madeira Islands		Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Spain	Canarias		Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	Eswatini			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Reunion			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Cyprus			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bhutan			Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Sreekumar, P. V. & V. J. Nair. 1991. Flora of Kerala - grasses.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Laos			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar			Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Papua New Guinea			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Solomon Islands			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia	New South Wales	e.	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Northern Territory	n.	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland	e.	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Western Australia	s.w.	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	New Zealand	New Zealand			Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Nuevo León		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	North-Central Pacific	United States	Hawaii		Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	Micronesia			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	Palau			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	United States	Guam		Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	United States	Northern Mariana Islands		Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	Cook Islands			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Fiji			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	New Caledonia			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Niue			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Wallis and Futuna Islands			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource). Note: = Cenchrus purpureus
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 2000. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis, ed. 2.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Honduras			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana			Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana			Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname			Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela			Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:533.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:533.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Galápagos		Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:533.

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia (s.)
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Cultivated

REGION:

Africa

NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco
REGION: Africa

Adventive
Africa

SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa

Asia-Temperate

WESTERN ASIA: Israel

Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
NORTHERN AFRICA: Morocco
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Eswatini, South Africa
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Reunion

Asia-Temperate

WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bhutan, India
PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales (e.), Queensland (e.), Western Australia (s.w.), Northern Territory (n.)]
NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas (s.)]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Nuevo León]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Pacific

NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Micronesia, Palau, United States [Guam, Northern Mariana Islands]
SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: Cook Islands, French Polynesia
SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji, New Caledonia, Niue, Wallis and Futuna Islands

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador [Galápagos], Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay

Reference(s)

African plant database. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve.
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource). Note: = Cenchrus purpureus
Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
Brunken, J. N. 1977. A systematic study of Pennisetum sect. Pennisetum (Gramineae). Amer. J. Bot. 64:161-176.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 2000. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis, ed. 2.
Lowe, A. J. et al. 2003. Characterisation of germplasm accessions of Napier grass (pennisetum purpureum and P. purpureum × P. glaucum Hybrids) and comparison with farm clones using RAPD. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 50:121-132.
Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
Sreekumar, P. V. & V. J. Nair. 1991. Flora of Kerala - grasses.
't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:533.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	fodder		't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
Animal food	forage		't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:191.
Environmental	erosion control		Hitchcock, A. S. 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States, ed. 2.
Environmental	ornamental		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds

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=464278. Accessed 9 May 2026.