Plants annual. Culms 50-80(100) cm, about 2 mm thick, usually rather robust, erect or somewhat geniculate at the base, often branching; nodes pubescent. Sheaths mostly shorter than the internodes, somewhat loose; blades 6-12(20) cm long, 1-7(10) mm wide, flat, becoming involute, apices attenuate. Panicles 10-20(30) cm long, to 3 cm wide at the base, loosely contracted to somewhat open. Spikelets 3.2-6.8 mm. Lower glumes 2.8-5.1 mm; upper glumes 3.2-6.8 mm, 3-veined; lowest lemmas 1.5-2 mm; awns 2.5-5 mm, usually exceeding the glumes; anthers 1-1.8 mm. 2n = 40.
Enneapogon cenchroides has been introduced and is persisting in the Ajo, Santa Catalina, Tucson, and Galiuro mountains of southern Arizona. Outside the Americas, its range extends from Sudan southward to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, through Saudi Arabia to India, and on Ascension Island.
Common Name: soft feather pappusgrass
Duration: Annual
Nativity: Non-Native
Lifeform: Graminoid
General: Annual with stems 50-80 cm, about 2 mm thick, robust, erect or somewhat geniculate at the base, often branching, pubescent nodes; sheaths mostly shorter than internodes.
Vegetative: Blades 6-12 cm long, 1-7 mm wide, flat, becoming involute with attenuate apices; ligule of hairs.
Inflorescence: Terminal spikelike panicles, loosely contracted to somewhat open, 10-20 cm long, to 3 cm wide at the base, loosely contracted to somewhat open; spikelets 3-7 mm with 3-6 florets; subequal glumes, pubescent, upper 3-veined 3-6.5 mm; lowest lemmas 1.5-2 mm with awns 2.5-5 mm, usually exceeding the glumes.
Ecology: Found on disturbed sites in mountain ranges of the Sonoran Desert.
Notes: This species has the potential to become a dangerously invasive species. Distinguished from E. desvauxii by the emarginate upper glume apex, along with slightly thicker stems that are only slightly enlarged at the base.
Ethnobotany: Unknown
Etymology: Enneapogon is from the Greek ennea, nine and pogon, a beard, referring to the nine plumose awns, while cenchroides comes from the Latin cenchros, for millet, so the name means like millet.
Synonyms: Enneapogon mollis
Editor: SBuckley, 2010
