Taxon: Cenchrus spinifex Cav.

Summary

Genus:

Cenchrus

Family:

Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)

Subfamily:

Panicoideae

Tribe:

Paniceae

Subtribe:

Cenchrinae

Nomen number:

433278

Place of publication:

Icon. 5:38, t. 461. 1799

Verified:

03/03/2011 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

1 (1 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

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

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Cenchrus incertus M. A. Curtis
Cenchrus pauciflorus Benth.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Diggs, G. M., Jr. et al. 1999. Shinner's and Mahler's illustrated flora of North Central Texas.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Simon, B. K. 2010. New taxa, nomenclatural changes and notes on Australian grasses in the tribe Paniceae (Poaceae: Panicoideae). Austrobaileya 8:192.
Vibrans, H., ed. Malezas de México (on-line resource).
Wofford, B. E. Database of Tennessee vascular plants (on-line resource).

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	coast sandbur	as Cenchrus incertus	1	Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually). Note: as Cenchrus incertus
English	coast sandbur grass	http://nationalplantboard.org/docs/summaries/california.pdf	1	National Plant Board. 2008-. National Plant Board federal and state quarantine summaries
English	coastal sandbur		1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
English	common sandbur		1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
English	field sandbur	as Cenchrus incertus	1	Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually). Note: as Cenchrus incertus
English	mat sandbur	as Cenchrus incertus	1	CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: as Cenchrus incertus
English	spiny bur grass	as Cenchrus incertus	1	Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Portuguese (Brazil)	capim-amoroso-da-areia		2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	capim-carrapicho-da-areia		2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	guizazo	as Cenchrus incertus	2	Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
Swedish	igelkottshirs		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America		Mexico		s.	McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Illinois	c.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Iowa		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Kansas	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Minnesota	n.w.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Indiana		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maine		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Massachusetts		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Ohio		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Pennsylvania	s.-c.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Vermont		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	West Virginia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Oregon		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Washington		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Wyoming		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	New Mexico		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Kentucky		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maryland		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Tennessee		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Virginia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	Arizona		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	California	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	Utah	s.w.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Anguilla		incl. St. Barthelemy	Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Kitts and Nevis			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Burger, W. C., ed. 1971-. Flora costaricensis.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Chile			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru
4	Naturalized	Europe	Eastern Europe	Russian Federation	Astrakhan		Skvortsov, A. K., ed. 2006. Flora of the Lower Volga region 1:134.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Eastern Europe	Russian Federation	Volgogradskaja oblast'		Skvortsov, A. K., ed. 2006. Flora of the Lower Volga region 1:134.

Native
Northern America

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania (s.-c.), Vermont, West Virginia]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois (c.), Iowa, Kansas (s.), Minnesota (n.w.), Oklahoma]
NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Oregon, Washington, Wyoming]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [New Mexico, Texas]
SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona, California (s.), Utah (s.w.)]
REGION: Mexico (s.)

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Anguilla (incl. St. Barthelemy), Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

Naturalized
Europe

EASTERN EUROPE: Russian Federation [Astrakhan, Volgogradskaja oblast']

Reference(s)

Burger, W. C., ed. 1971-. Flora costaricensis.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Skvortsov, A. K., ed. 2006. Flora of the Lower Volga region 1:134.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Weed	seed contaminant	potential; as Cenchrus incertus	CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: as Cenchrus incertus

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=433278. Accessed 12 May 2026.