Gramineae

Sickle grass

Chloridoideae; Chloridae. There are 20 species of Cteniun in tropical and subtropical Africa and America of which 1 is indigenous to southern Africa.

Occurs in southern Africa in savanna and grassland areas in open grassland. Found from southern Africa to central tropical Africa (Uganda, Kenya & Sudan).

A wiry tufted perennial grass that grows to a height of 400-700 mm tall. Leaf blades are 100-300 mm long and up to 2-5 mm wide. The ligule is a very short fringed membrane. Inflorescence is a single one-sided spike, 50-170 mm long that is sickle-shaped to cork-screw-like at maturity. The spikelet-bearing axes are persistent. There are two unequal glumes. The upper glume is tubercled. The lemmas are awned from below the apex with a spreading awn. The spikelets are solitary, 5-7 mm long, compressed laterally and disarticulating above the glumes. The female fertile lemmas are 4.5-5.5 mm long.

This species is unpalatable with hard leaves. It is sometimes used in flower arrangements (Van Wyk & Van Oudtshoorn 1999).

Chromosome base number, x = 9

C₄ photosynthetic pathway.

None reported and considered to be non-toxic.

Occurs in tropical, summer rainfall areas usually where the annual rainfall exceeds 600 mm per annum. It is a climax species that is abundant in underutilized rangeland.

Grows in dry sandy soils.

C. concinnum is not propagated in South Africa.

A summer-growing species that flowers anytime from December to April.

None known

Moderate to slow-growing.

Gibbs-Russell, G.E., Watson, L., Koekemoer, M., Smook, L. Barker, N.P., Anderson, H.M., Dallwitz, M.J. 1989. Grasses of southern Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, No. 58, National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Van Wyk, E. & Van Oudtshoorn, F. 1999. Guide to grasses of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Arcadia, South Africa.