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

Botswana: 15 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 & ZuloagaNDescription, Image
brachyura (Hack.) StapfN,SW,SEDescription
brizantha (A.Rich.) R.D.WebsterDescription, Image
deflexa (Schumach.) H.ScholzN,SWDescription, Image
dictyoneura (Fig. & De Not.) VeldkampNDescription
dura (Stapf) A.M.Torres & C.M.MortonDescription
glomerata (Stapf) Oulo, Zon & SosefSW,SE
grossa (Stapf) Oulo, Zon & SosefN,SWDescription
marlothii (Hack.) Oulo, Zon & SosefN,SW
nigropedata (Munro ex Ficalho & Hiern) A.M.Torres & C.M.MortonN,SW,SEDescription, Image
oligotricha (Fig. & De Not.) HenrardN,SEDescription
panicoides P. Beauv.SEDescription, Image
serrata (Thunb.) SosefDescription, Image
trichopus (Hochst.) StapfN,SEDescription, Image
xantholeuca (Hack.) H.ScholzNDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Urochloa:

Our websites:

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 Zambia: 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: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-25

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2025). Flora of Botswana: Genus page: Urochloa.
https://www.botswanaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=198, retrieved 10 July 2025

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