G.487. Urochloa P. Beauv.

BRACHIARIA (Trin.) Griseb.

PSEUDOBRACHIARIA Launert

Description of the genus

Annuals or perennials. Leaves: lamina linear or lanceolate; ligule a line of hairs. Inflorescence of racemes borne upon a short common axis; spikelets single and abaxial or paired. Spikelets lanceolate to ovate, plano-convex, cuspidate to acuminate; lower glume mostly shorter than spikelet; upper glume as long as spikelet, usually membranous; lower floret male or sterile, lower lemma resembling upper glume; upper lemma obtuse, mucronate.

Derivation of name: from Greek: ouro meaning a tail; chloa meaning grass, possibly referring to the mucronate upper lemma

Comment: This now includes all species formerly placed in Brachiaria.

Worldwide: 103 species in the Old World tropics

Zambia: 25 taxa.

Urochloa trichopus

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
arrecta (Hack. ex T.Durand & Schinz) Morrone & ZuloagaN,SDescription, Image
bovonei (Chiov.) A.M.Torres & C.M.MortonB,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
brevispicata (Rendle) Sosef
brizantha (A.Rich.) R.D.WebsterB,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
clavipila (Chiov.) Sosef
comata (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) SosefDescription
deflexa (Schumach.) H.ScholzN,C,E,SDescription, Image
dictyoneura (Fig. & De Not.) VeldkampB,N,W,C,E,SDescription
dura (Stapf) A.M.Torres & C.M.MortonDescription
echinolaenoides Stapf N,W
eminii (Mez) DavidseN,E
grossa (Stapf) Oulo, Zon & SosefN,C,SDescription
jubata (Fig. & De Not.) SosefN,C,SDescription
nigropedata (Munro ex Ficalho & Hiern) A.M.Torres & C.M.MortonB,SDescription, Image
oligobrachiata (Pilg.) Kartesz
oligotricha (Fig. & De Not.) HenrardC,E,SDescription
panicoides P. Beauv.CDescription, Image
platynota (K.Schum.) Pilg.
platyrrhachis C.E. Hubb.N,W
pungipes (Clayton) ??  [End?] [LR-lc]
rugulosa (Stapf) SosefDescription
serrata (Thunb.) SosefB,N,W,C,SDescription, Image
subulifolia (Mez) Torres Gonz. & C.M.MortonN,W,CDescription
trichopus (Hochst.) StapfW,E,SDescription, Image
xantholeuca (Hack.) H.ScholzB,C,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Urochloa:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Urochloa
Flora of Burundi: Urochloa
Flora of Caprivi: Urochloa
Flora of the DRC: Urochloa
Flora of Malawi: Urochloa
Flora of Mozambique: Urochloa
Flora of Rwanda: Urochloa
Flora of Zimbabwe: Urochloa

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Urochloa
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Urochloa
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Urochloa
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Urochloa
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Urochloa
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Urochloa
JSTOR Plant Science: Urochloa
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Urochloa
Plants of the World Online: Urochloa
Tropicos: Urochloa
Wikipedia: Urochloa

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Urochloa.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=198, retrieved 5 December 2025

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