''Centrolepis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small herbaceous

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s in the family

Restionaceae The Restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family (biology), family of flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in height. Following the APG IV system, APG IV (2016): the fami ...

known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and south-east

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

as far north as

Hainan Dao Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

APG III system The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy being developed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG). Published in 2009, it was superseded in 2016 by a fur ...

classifies this genus in the

Centrolepidaceae Centrolepidaceae are a family of flowering plants now included in Restionaceae following APG IV (2016). The botanical name has been recognized by most taxonomists. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, 1998), also recognis ...

family. ''Centrolepis'' species are all tufted plants with narrow leaves from the base. Flowers are tiny and wind-pollinated, in highly condensed

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s enclosed between a pair of

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 usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s that often have leaf-like points. ; Species * '' Centrolepis alepyroides'' (Nees) Walp. - Avon + Darling in Western Australia * ''

Centrolepis aristata ''Centrolepis aristata'', commonly known as pointed centrolepis, is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family and is found in areas of southern Australia. Description The annual herb has a tufted habit and typically grows to a height of . It ...

'' (R.Br.) Roem. & Schult. - Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales * ''

Centrolepis banksii ''Centrolepis banksii'' is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family and is found in northern parts of Australia. The sometimes red coloured annual herb has a tufted habit and typically grows to a height of . It blooms between May and August ...

'' (R.Br.) Roem. & Schult. - Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Hainan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia * '' Centrolepis caespitosa'' D.A.Cooke - Western Australia * ''

Centrolepis cambodiana ''Centrolepis'' is a genus of small herbaceous plants in the family Restionaceae known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and south-east Asia as far north as Hainan Dao. APG III system cla ...

'' Hance - Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia * '' Centrolepis cephaloformis'' Reader - Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria * ''

Centrolepis ciliata ''Centrolepis ciliata'' is a species of plant of the Restionaceae family. It is found in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North I ...

'' (Hook.f.) Druce - New Zealand (North & South Is., Auckland Islands, Campbell Island) * '' Centrolepis curta'' D.A.Cooke - Western Australia * ''

Centrolepis drummondiana ''Centrolepis drummondiana'' is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family and is found in Western Australia. The annual herb has a tufted habit and typically grows to a height of . It blooms between September and November. It is found among ...

'' (Nees) Walp - Western Australia, possibly South Australia * ''

Centrolepis eremica ''Centrolepis eremica'' is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family and is found in Western Australia. The annual herb has a tufted habit and typically forms a hemispherical mound approximately in width. It blooms between July and Septembe ...

'' D.A.Cooke - Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory * ''

Centrolepis exserta ''Centrolepis exserta'' is a species of plant in the Restionaceae The Restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family of flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in height. F ...

'' (R.Br.) Roem. & Schult. - Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland * ''

Centrolepis fascicularis ''Centrolepis fascicularis'' is a species of plant in the Restionaceae The Restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family of flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in heig ...

'' Labill. - Australia (all 6 states but not NT), New Guinea, Sumatra, New Zealand (recorded once) * ''

Centrolepis glabra ''Centrolepis glabra'', commonly known as smooth centrolepis, is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family. The annual herb has a tufted habit and typically grows to a height of . It blooms between September and November. In Western Austral ...

'' (F.Muell. ex Sond.) Hieron. - New Zealand South Island, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales * '' Centrolepis humillima'' F.Muell. ex Benth. - Western Australia * '' Centrolepis inconspicua'' W.Fitzg. - Avon + Darling in Western Australia * '' Centrolepis milleri'' M.D.Barrett & D.D.Sokoloff - Western Australia * ''

Centrolepis monogyna ''Centrolepis'' is a genus of small herbaceous plants in the family Restionaceae known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and south-east Asia as far north as Hainan Dao. APG III system cla ...

'' (Hook.f.) Benth. - Tasmania * ''

Centrolepis muscoides ''Centrolepis'' is a genus of small herbaceous plants in the family Restionaceae known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and south-east Asia as far north as Hainan Dao. APG III system cla ...

'' (Hook.f.) Hieron. - Tasmania * '' Centrolepis mutica'' (R.Br.) Hieron. - Darling in Western Australia * '' Centrolepis pallida'' (Hook.f.) Cheeseman - New Zealand (North & South Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island) * '' Centrolepis pedderensis'' W.M.Curtis - Tasmania * '' Centrolepis philippinensis'' Merr. - Borneo, Philippines, Sulawesi, New Guinea * '' Centrolepis pilosa'' Hieron. - Western Australia * '' Centrolepis polygyna'' (R.Br.) Hieron. - Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales * '' Centrolepis racemosa'' D.D.Sokoloff & Remizowa - Northern Territory * '' Centrolepis strigosa'' (R.Br.) Roem. & Schult. - Australia (all 6 states but not NT), New Zealand;

References

Poales genera Restionaceae {{Poales-stub