Common name: Mossman River Grass
Cenchrus echinatus L. APNI* 
Description: Tufted annual to 0.9 m high.
Leaves with sheath keeled, margins glabrous or pilose; ligule reduced to a densely ciliate rim; blade 3–12 mm wide, glabrous to pubescent, scabrid.
Panicle spike-like, loose to rather dense, 2–10 cm long, bristles fused, basal ones very slender, erect, intermediate more rigid and spreading, inner fused for half their length, rigid and broadly flattened, acute. Spikelets 2–6 in each burr, ovate, acuminate, 4.5–7 mm long. Lower glume 1.3–4 mm long, 1-nerved; upper 3.5–7 mm long, 3–5-nerved, puberulous. Lower lemma sterile, rarely male, 3–6.4 mm long, similar to upper glume, 5-nerved; palea puberulous. Upper lemma bisexual, as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved; palea as long as lemma.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: A weed on coastal, estuarine and river sands. Native of N & S Amer.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *NWP, *SWP, *NFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *N.T.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & S. M. Hastings
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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