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- Dichotomous Key
- Poaceae
- Poaceae Group 1
- Cenchrus
- Cenchrus longispinus
Cenchrus longispinus — long-spined sandbur
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Long-spined sandbur is a native grass of southern New England, including the southern edges of the northern states (with a disjunct population in Chittenden County, Vermont). It is found in sandy soils and along railroads. It is protected in Maine and New Hampshire, and considered a noxious weed in California and Washington.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 1.5–7.5 mm
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 4–7.8 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.6–1.3 mm
- Anther length
- 0.7–1 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.7–1 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is hard and firm
- Floret number
- 1–2
- Floret types within spikelet
-
- NA
- there are at least two distinct forms of florets within one spikelet
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence length
- 15–100 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
-
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 4–7.8 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets appear spiny and bur-like
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 1.5–7.5 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.6–1.3 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Occurs only in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: UPL)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- historical (S-rank: SH), potentially extirpated (code: PE)
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- New Hampshire
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- Vermont
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
Synonyms
- Cenchrus carolinianaus Walt.
- Cenchrus echinatus L. forma longispinus Hack.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Cenchrus longispinus (Hack.) Fern. N
long-spined sandbur. Cenchrus carolinianaus Walt.; C. echinatus L. forma longispinus Hack. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT; mostly southern New England and southern portions of northern states, though disjunct in Chittenden County, VT. Sandy soils of fields, roadsides, woodland edges, and railroads.