Trachypogon spicatus(L.f.) Kuntze

spiked crinkleawn

WFO wfo-0000903926 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. a Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2021-02-11 / obs. 113505177
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. b Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 64530788
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. c Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 63669254
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by Jimmy Whatmore
fig. d Jimmy Whatmore, CC0 1.0 / obs. 39692895
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. e bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 108338295
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. f bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 108326948
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. g bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 107181197
Trachypogon spicatus, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. h bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 107742054

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 66 botanical countries

Regions where Trachypogon spicatus is native: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Free State, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Arizona, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, New Mexico, Texas, Argentina Northeast, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCaprivi StripCentral African RepublicCongoDR CongoEswatiniEthiopiaFree StateGhanaIvory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLesothoMadagascarMalawiMaliMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweArizonaMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNew MexicoTexasArgentina NortheastBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruSurinameTrinidad-TobagoUruguayVenezuela
Native distribution of Trachypogon spicatus, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Angola ANG AFRICA
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Caprivi Strip CPV
Central African Republic CAF
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Free State OFS
Ghana GHA
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Lesotho LES
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Rwanda RWA
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Belize BLZ
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Honduras HON
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Arizona ARI NORTHERN AMERICA
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
New Mexico NWM
Texas TEX

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 96 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Andropogon angustifolius Kunth
  • Andropogon canescens (Nees) Kunth
  • Andropogon canus Steud.
  • Andropogon dactyloides Steud.
  • Andropogon digitatus Hochst. ex Steud.
  • Andropogon dissolutus (Nees) Steud.
  • Andropogon fundaensis Vanderyst
  • Andropogon laxiflorus Steud.
  • Andropogon ligularis (Nees) Kunth
  • Andropogon megapotamicus Spreng.
  • Andropogon mollis (Nees) Kunth
  • Andropogon montufarii Kunth
  • Andropogon plumosus Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.
  • Andropogon secundus (J.Presl) Kunth
  • Andropogon spicatus (L.f.) Steud.
  • Andropogon stenophyllus Roem. & Schult.
  • Andropogon stipoides (J.Presl) Kunth
  • Andropogon tortus Willd. ex Steud.
  • Andropogon trichospirus Hack.
  • Andropogon truncatus Steud.
  • Andropogon vestitus Steud.
  • Heteropogon megapotamicus (Spreng.) Schult. & Schult.f.
  • Heteropogon secundus J.Presl
  • Heteropogon stipoides J.Presl

and 72 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.