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<big>''[[Cenchrus biflorus]]'' Roxb.</big>
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Cenchrus biflorus'' (PROTA)}}
:Protologue: Fl. ind. 1: 238 (1820).
:Chromosome number: ''n'' = 15, 16, 17, 18, 24
== Vernacular names ==
*Cram-cram, Indian sandbur (En). *Cram-cram (Fr).
== Origin and geographic distribution ==
== Description ==
*Loosely tufted, annual grass, with ascending stems (culms) up to 1 m tall. *Leaves alternate, simple and entire; ligule a line of hairs; blade linear, flat, 2–25(–35) cm × 2–7(–10) mm, apex filiform. *Inflorescence a spike-like panicle 2–15 cm × 9–12 mm, with 1–3 spikelets enclosed by an involucre of prickly bristles; rachis angular, sinuous; involucre ovoid, 4–11 mm long with numerous spines, inner spines erect, fused at base, retrorsely hairy on the pungent, recurving apex, outer spines shorter, spreading. *Spikelet lanceolate 3.5–6 mm long, acute, consisting of 2 glumes and usually 2 florets; glumes shorter than spikelet; lower floret male or sterile, its lemma as long as spikelet, membranous, upper floret bisexual, its lemma as long as spikelet, thinly leathery; stamens 3, ovary superior, glabrous, with 2 hairy stigmas. *Fruit a dorsally compressed caryopsis (grain), 2–2.5 mm × 1.5–2 mm. == Other botanical information ==
''Cenchrus'' comprises about 20 species in tropical and warm temperate regions, mainly in Africa and the Americas. It is closely related to ''Pennisetum'', which differs in non-spiny inner involucral bristles free to the base.
The spiny spikelets of ''Cenchrus biflorus'' adhere to hairs of animals and clothes, making possible wide dispersal. ''Cenchrus biflorus'' follows the C<sub>4</sub>>-cycle photosynthetic pathway.
== Ecology ==
''Cenchrus biflorus'' is mostly found in semi-arid and arid regions with an annual rainfall of 250–650 mm, up to 1300 m altitude, usually on dry sandy soils and in cultivated, overgrazed or otherwise disturbed areas. It is extremely abundant in the Sahel and southern Sahara, where it may form massive stands. A study in western Niger showed that it had become much more abundant and dominant in the late 1980s than it was in the early 1960s.
== Management ==
''Cenchrus biflorus'' can be propagated by seed. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 35°C. In tropical Africa the grains are collected from the wild. The spiny spikelets shatter easily at maturity and are often allowed to fall, after which they are swept into piles with a bunch of straw, or they are raked with a big ‘comb’ with a handle. The plants may be beaten with a stick if not all spikelets have fallen. The spikelets are pounded in a mortar and the grains are separated by winnowing. In the Lake Chad area the inflorescences are cut off with a knife, after which the grains are dried, threshed and winnowed. In Kordofan (Sudan) the grains are hulled by rubbing them between two pieces of leather.
== Genetic resources ==
== Author(s) ==
* M. Brink , PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
== Correct citation of this article ==
Brink, M., 2006. '''Cenchrus biflorus''' Roxb. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. In: Brink, M. & Belay, G. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.
