Cenchrus orientalis

The threats to this species remain unknown.

EURISCO reports 19 accessions held in European genebanks, 11 of which are reported to be of wild or weedy origin, and six of which have no reported information regarding their origin (EURISCO Catalogue 2013). In addition, six accessions of this species are held in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS, in the USA), none of which are of wild origin or backed up at a second site (USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2014). And the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) holds 34 accessions of wild origin for this species (ICRISAT 2014). As yet, no accessions are reported to be duplicated and conserved in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV Data Portal 2013). According to Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI 2013) this species has living collections in 45 botanical gardens worldwide, although the size, state, origin and location of the collections are not detailed in this resource (garden locations are undisclosed to protect rare and valuable plant species). Although a range of accessions are held ex situ for this species, the collection of genetically representative germplasm material for ex situ conservation of this species is recommended (Maxted and Kell 2009).

Furthermore, the genus Pennisetum [Cenchrus] is included in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), which aims to guarantee sustainable agriculture and food security through the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use (FAO 2009).