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Species
Cenchrus ciliaris L.
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
More info for the term: warm-season
Buffelgrass occurs on disturbed [17,56,140,141] and undisturbed [17,43] sites, on rangelands [56], in deserts [17,50], along roads and highways [4,18,19,24,43,47,50,68], on lowlands [25], uplands [25,121], in city lots [50], on slopes, rocky sites [93], and in riparian areas [43].
Climate and precipitation: Buffelgrass is adapted to arid and semiarid climates [5,17,66,69]. It is frost-susceptible [66,99,121], and drought-tolerant [10,50]. In its native habitat, climates are subhumid to arid with predominantly warm-season rainfall, so buffelgrass is well adapted to the soil moisture regimes typical of southern Arizona [30]. Where buffelgrass dominates and has expanded its range in North America, annual rainfall varies from 8 to 49 inches (200 mm-1,250 mm) and temperatures rarely drop below 40 °F (5 °C) [26,30,78]. The rhizomatous cultivars 'Nueces' and 'Llano' are better suited for colder climates [110,131].
Elevation: Buffelgrass occurs from 20 to 2,700 feet (6-830 m) in North America [30]. It occurs from sea level to 400 feet (0-120 m) in Hawaii (review by [87]). Freezing temperatures above 3,000 feet (900 m) and at high latitudes impede buffelgrass spread [125].
Soil: Buffelgrass occurs on a range of soil textures but is most common on sandy soils [26,30]. In Texas, buffelgrass is common on sandy soils throughout the South Plains [56]. Hanselka [66] states that buffelgrass grows readily on the sandy loam soils that are widespread throughout southern Texas. Buffelgrass seeds germinate and emerge in sandy, silty, and clayey soils. Cox and others [26,30] note that buffelgrass seedling emergence declines as sand, silt, or clay content approaches 100%. Buffelgrass growth is severely inhibited on highly saline soils, deep sands, tight clays, and soils with poor surface drainage [66]. In Mexico, buffelgrass survival and spread were negatively associated with total soil organic matter [29].
Sites in Kenya, where buffelgrass is native, and sites in Texas and Mexico, where buffelgrass has been planted, were studied to identify soil characteristics best suited for buffelgrass cultivation [28,78]. Site elevations in Texas and Mexico ranged from 70 to 2,000 feet (20-700 m); in Kenya, they ranged from 50 to 1,900 feet (15-580 m). Annual precipitation ranged from 8 to 47 inches (200-1,200 mm) on study sites in Texas and Mexico and from 8 to 16 inches (200-400 mm) on study sites in Kenya. Study sites were classified according to whether buffelgrass spread (survived in the seeded area and established naturally from seed outside the seeded area), persisted (survived in the seeded area but did not establish outside the seeded area), or died (persisted in the seeded area for 10 or more years, but all plants eventually died). Buffelgrass is favored on sites where soils have a large percentage of sand, a low percentage of organic matter, and associated low cation exchange capacity [28,78].
Mean (SD) characteristics of the top 10 cm of soil where buffelgrass spread, persisted, or died in Texas, Mexico, and Kenya [28,78] | |||
Soil properties | Survival regime | ||
Spread | Persisted | Died | |
Sand (%) | 61.1 (20.2) | 44.9 (24.6) | 35.3 (15.4) |
Silt (%) | 17.5 (10.8) | 24.1 (13.2) | 32.3 (7.2) |
Clay (%) | 21.5 (11.6) | 31.0 (15.3) | 32.4 (11.2) |
Silt + clay (%) | 39.0 (18.7) | 55.1 (24.3) | 64.7 (16.2) |
pH | 7.8 (0.5) | 7.6 (0.6) | 7.5 (0.4) |
Total nitrogen (%) | 0.1 (0.1) | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.5 (0.3) |
Organic carbon (%) | 0.9 (0.7) | 2.6 (2.9) | 4.4 (3.6) |
Phosphorus (mg/kg) | 10.6 (11.9) | 12.9 (12.7) | 10.0 (22.3) |
Cation exchange capacity (cmol/kg) | 22.5 (13.4) | 38.1 (24.4) | 61.8 (24.9) |
Sodium (cmol/kg) | 0.4 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.4) | 0.4 (0.2) |
Potassium (cmol/kg) | 1.1 (0.7) | 1.9 (1.3) | 1.8 (0.9) |
Calcium (cmol/kg) | 35.9 (26.5) | 42.0 (23.0) | 47.8 (16.6) |
Magnesium (cmol/kg) | 1.9 (1.5) | 3.2 (2.2) | 3.7 (2.5) |
Soils in areas converted from desert scrub to buffelgrass pastures in Sonora differ from those in unconverted sites [18,78]. Soil under buffelgrass has higher organic matter content and is exposed to higher insolation than soil under native vegetation [78]. Burquez and others [18] suggest that soil nutrients are depleted in buffelgrass pastures by the net export of nutrients taken by cattle and the volatilization of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium during recurrent fires.
More info for the term: graminoid
Graminoid
This is a polymorphic species occurring naturally from Africa to India. Some superior strains have been selected and distributed in warm parts of the world for pasture and fodder in dry areas (Buffel Grass), and the grass has become a widespread weed. It was introduced to Taiwan as a pasture grass, and is now naturalized in the south of that island.
Cenchrus ciliaris may easily be mistaken for a species of Penni-setum, as the basal fusion of the bristles is rather slight. However, the flattening and grooving of the bristles around the spikelets is a characteristic feature of Cenchrus and is not found in Pennisetum.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242311755 |
The literature contains little information on native buffelgrass habitat types
and plant communities. In Kenya [8] and India [58], buffelgrass occurs in
grasslands. In Botswana [40,41], buffelgrass occurs in savannas with
feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata), hooked bristlegrass (Setaria
verticillata), spiked bur grass (Tragus berteronianus), soft feather
pappusgrass (Enneapogon cenchroides), curlyleaf (Eragrostis
rigidior), guineagrass (Urochloa maxima), and African liverseed grass
(U. mosambicensis) [41].
In North America, buffelgrass is most prominent in the Sonoran
Desert of southern Arizona and northern Mexico [19,43,77,111,124,125,126],
and the Chihuahuan Desert of southwestern Texas [62,64,94]. It also occurs in the dry lands
of Hawaii [117,126,133]. Although some authors indicate that buffelgrass
occurs in Oklahoma [128], Missouri, New York, Puerto Rico [82,128],
California [71], and Florida [139,141], no information is available
regarding native habitats in which it occurs in these areas.
Buffelgrass occurs in desert and thornscrub communities in southern Arizona
and northern Mexico. It occurs in communities dominated by brittle bush
(Encelia farinosa), acacia (Acacia spp.), Arizona mimosa
(Mimosa distachya var. laxiflora), honey mesquite
(Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) creosotebush
(Larrea tridentata), saltbush (Atriplex spp.), bursage
(Ambrosia spp.), desert ironwood (Olneya tesota),
yellow paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla), and/or saguaro (Carnegiea
gigantea) [19,43,77,111,124,125,126].
In the desert of southwestern Texas, buffelgrass is common in mesquite (Prosopis spp.)-acacia communities
and in cultivated buffelgrass pastures [62,64,94].
In Hawaii, buffelgrass
occurs in coastal dry forests on all the main islands and is an understory
dominant with fingergrass (Chloris spp.) in nonnative kiawe
(Prosopis pallida) forests. It also occurs in 'ohai (Sesbania tomentosa)
dry shrublands [133], and dry grasslands dominated by native pili grass
(Heteropogon contortus) and/or nonnative thatching grass (Hyparrhenia rufa) [87,133].
7.5 Plasticidad ambiental y tolerancia
No tolera el exceso de humedad ni inundaciones. Tolera pH de 6.0 a 8.5, tolerancia a la salinidad media y a la sequía alta. Es extremadamente resistente al fuego y responde a las quemas (Cantú-Brito. 2006; Chambers &Hawkins, 2004; Langer &Hill, 1991).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | No source database. |
African Foxtail Grass, Blue Buffalo Grass or Buffet Grass in a valuable fodder grass, especially for hay. It is also said to be a useful lawn grass.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242311755 |
3.4 Hábitat- SNIB - CONABIO, 2007
Habita a lo largo de caminos y en lotes baldíos (Villegas et al., 1998; Chambers &Hawkins, 2004).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | No source database. |
More info on this topic.
Buffelgrass is a warm season plant [78]. It starts growing in late winter and flowers from spring through fall [25,121]. In Florida, buffelgrass grows year-round and flowers from July to October [59]. In Texas, under "favorable" growing conditions, buffelgrass sets seed from early spring until late fall [56]. Leaf growth typically begins when mean minimum temperatures rise to about 50 °F (10 °C), but stem growth occurs only when minimum temperatures are between 59 to 70 °F (15-20 °C) and mean maximum temperatures are below 100 °F (40 °C) [26,30,78]. Buffelgrass responds quickly to spring precipitation and "erratic" desert rainfall events in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico [50], particularly when soil temperatures are above 75 °F (24 °C). It also grows vigorously after fall rains. Little buffelgrass growth occurs during dry summer and winter months [53,66].
United States
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Pennisetum+ciliare |