Cenchrus agrimonioides
Encyclopedia
Cenchrus agrimonioides is a rare species of grass
in the Poaceae
family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
. Its common names include Kāmanomano and agrimony sandbur. It was formerly distributed throughout the major islands but today it is nearly limited to Oahu
. Kāmanomano inhabits dry
to moist forests and lava plain
s. It is threatened by competition with non-native plants, predation by ungulate
s, and wildfire
. When this plant became a federally listed endangered species
of the United States in 1996 there were fewer than 100 individuals remaining. More recent counts revealed 181 wild individuals on Oahu and over 300 more which have been planted to augment the populations. This plant is nearly restricted to the island of Oahu, but there are a few individuals known on Maui
. A few patches of the grass have been planted on Kahoolawe
, as well.
Cenchrus agrimonioides var. laysanensis, a variety of this species endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
, became extinct in the 1980s. Remaining plants of this species are the variety agrimonioides.
This is a perennial grass which produces is flowers and fruits within spiny bur
s. These birds attach to animals, which might then disperse
the seeds.
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
in the Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. Its common names include Kāmanomano and agrimony sandbur. It was formerly distributed throughout the major islands but today it is nearly limited to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. Kāmanomano inhabits dry
Hawaiian tropical dry forests
The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and...
to moist forests and lava plain
Lava plain
A lava plain, also called a lava field or lava bed, is a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly-fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or even hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain...
s. It is threatened by competition with non-native plants, predation by ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s, and wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. When this plant became a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of the United States in 1996 there were fewer than 100 individuals remaining. More recent counts revealed 181 wild individuals on Oahu and over 300 more which have been planted to augment the populations. This plant is nearly restricted to the island of Oahu, but there are a few individuals known on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. A few patches of the grass have been planted on Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about seven miles southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lanai, and it is long by wide, with a total land area of . The highest point on Kahoolawe is the crater of Lua Makika at the...
, as well.
Cenchrus agrimonioides var. laysanensis, a variety of this species endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, became extinct in the 1980s. Remaining plants of this species are the variety agrimonioides.
This is a perennial grass which produces is flowers and fruits within spiny bur
BUR
BUR may refer to:* Bur, a saying by Gucci Mane* Burs , a Germanic tribe* Bob Hope Airport, Burbank, California * Burmese language * Burkina Faso...
s. These birds attach to animals, which might then disperse
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
the seeds.