Common name: Birdwood Grass
Cenchrus setiger Vahl APNI* 
Description: Perennial to 0.8 m high with a stout rootstock.
Leaves with sheath scabrous upwards, margins ciliate or glabrous; ligule short, ciliate; blade 1.8–6.9 mm wide, folded or flat, scaberulous to smooth, glabrous to sparsely hairy.
Panicle spike-like, cylindrical, dense, erect, 1.5–12 cm long, outer bristles short or suppressed, inner fused for 25–65% their length, then forming short, subequal, flattened spines. Spikelets 1–3 per cluster, 3–5.2 mm long. Lower glume 1–2.5 mm long, 1-nerved; upper similar, 1.9–3.5 mm long, 1-nerved. Lower lemma sterile, rarely male, subequal to spikelet, 3–5-nerved; palea subequal to lemma. Upper lemma bisexual, as long as the spikelet, 5–7-nerved; palea as long as lemma.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on sandy red soils in Bimble Box communities. Native of NE trop. Afr., Arabia & India.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *NT, *NWS, *NWP, *NFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *W.A. *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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