Centrolepis
Encyclopedia
Centrolepis is a genus
of small herbaceous plant
s in the family Centrolepidaceae
known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia
, New Zealand
, and south-east Asia
extending to Hainan Dao.
Centrolepis species are all tufted plants with narrow leaves from the base. Flowers are tiny and wind-pollinated, in highly condensed inflorescence
s enclosed between a pair of bract
s that often have leaf-like points.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small herbaceous plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s in the family Centrolepidaceae
Centrolepidaceae
Centrolepidaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , also recognises such a family, and assigns it to the order Poales in the clade commelinids in the monocots.The family is now regarded as...
known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and south-east Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
extending to Hainan Dao.
Centrolepis species are all tufted plants with narrow leaves from the base. Flowers are tiny and wind-pollinated, in highly condensed inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s enclosed between a pair of bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s that often have leaf-like points.