Cenchrus agrimonioides
Genus
Cenchrus
Species
agrimonioides
Varieties
- agrimonioides
- laysanensis
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Kāmanomano
- Kūmanomano
Hawaiian Names
- Kamanomano
- Kumanomano
Common Names
- Agrimony sandbur
- Laysan agrimony sandbur
- Sandbur
Synonyms
- Cenchrus calyculatus var. uniflorus
- Cenchrus fusiformis
- Cenchrus laysanensis
- Cenchrus pedunculatus
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
Federally Listed
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Non-Woody, Spreading
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Grass-like, Medium, 1 to 2.5
- Grass-like, Tall, Greater than or equal to 2.5
Mature Size, Width
About four feet wide.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Container
- Erosion Control
- Ground Cover
Additional Landscape Use Information
An easy to grow native grass for use as a partial or full sun groundcover.
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Blooming Period
- Year Round
- Sporadic
Plant texture
- Medium
- Coarse
Leaf Colors
- Light Green
- Medium Green
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Locusts have been observed doing minimal to serious damage to leaves and stems. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Fertilizer
Little or no additional fertilizers are required for this native grass.
Pruning Information
Other than occasional pruning back when it travels into unwanted areas, kāmanomano will need little attention. Spent seed spikes may be clipped off for a cleaner appearance.
Water Requirements
- Moist
Additional Water Information
Watering can be reduced once established and is a xeric or drought tolerant grass. However, plants look nicer when kept on the moister side.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
- Partial sun
Spacing Information
Kāmanomano can be planted from 2 to 4 feet apart and will eventually grow together forming a nice groundcover. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Tolerances
- Drought
- Wind
Soils
- Sand
- Cinder
- Organic
Limitations
Can be leggy and plants weaken if grown in too much shade. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Natural Range
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
- Northwest Islands
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- Less than 150, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 150 to 1000, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 1000 to 1999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 2000 to 2999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
Habitat
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
Kāmanomano is rarely found from dry sandy or rocky slopes, ridges and lava plains to moist forests. Probably extinct on Hawaiʻi Island.
In the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, the variety laysanensis was found on last collected on Midway Atoll (Pihemanu) in 1902, on Laysan (Kauō) in 1911, and Kure (Kānemilohaʻi) in 1961. [3] It is now thought to be extinct since the 1980's.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Kāmanomano is one of about twenty species in the small, mostly New World, Grass family (Poaceae) genus Cenchrus.
There are a few naturalized Cenchrus species in the islands, notably the weedy irritant mauʻu kukū or common sandbur (Cenchrus echinatus). This most unwelcomed grass has copious small sharp burrs that attach themselves to unwary pets and a passerby's pants, socks, shoe laces, and exposed skin! The Hawaiian name kukū and the Latin species name echinatus both names refer to spines, thorns, or prickles--most apropos for this grassy "land-urchin" (vauna ʻāina).
Of the five Cenchrus species found in the Hawaiian Islands, only the critically endangered Cenchrus agrimonioides is native.
Etymology
Name Cenchrus is derived from the Greek, kenchros, a name of a small millet or one of the cereals resembling a small millet used by ancient Greeks.
The species name agrimonioides literally means "agrimony-like" or "resembling agrimony." The spikelets (fruit) of this grass do in fact resemble the burry fruit of the plant known as agrimony (Agrimonia spp.).
Background Information
The dstinction between the two varieties is noted by Hitchcock (1922) who said: "The Laysan specimens have somewhat larger burs and flat blades 15-20 cm. long and1 to 2 cm. wide, and the base of the bur is more abruptly enlarged upward. These may represent a distinct species. The specimens are said to be 3 or 4 feet tall." [3]
Early Hawaiian Use
Medicinal:
Leaves were pounded with salt to treat to wounds or sores. It was also used in bathing for maʻi ʻino (venereal disease). The bitter plant was mixed with ʻuala, pia and kō (sugar) for pāʻaoʻao (childhood disease, with physical weakness), and for killing worms and naio (pinworms) in the stomach. [2]
Other Uses:
According to one source, the early Hawaiians used "the leaves used in love magic are called hoʻomano." [1]
Modern Use
This native grass has been used in habitat restoration on islands such as on Kahoʻolawe.
Additional References
[1] http://wehewehe.org/ [accessed 12/16/09]
[2] "Native Hawaiian Medicine--Volume III" by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, page 56.
[3] "Cenchrus laysanensis (Gramineae) of the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian Plants Studies 47" by Harold St. John, pages 22-24.
PHOTOS FOR THIS SPECIES CAN BE SEEN AT THE LINK (Copy & Paste to your browser):
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50823119%40N08&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=Cenchrus%20agrimonioides
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