Urochloa

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Genus of grasses

title: "Urochloa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["panicoideae", "poaceae-genera", "grasses-of-africa", "grasses-of-asia", "grasses-of-europe", "grasses-of-north-america", "grasses-of-oceania", "grasses-of-south-america", "taxa-named-by-palisot-de-beauvois", "plants-described-in-1812", "cereals"] description: "Genus of grasses" topic_path: "general/panicoideae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urochloa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of grasses ::

| name = Signalgrass | image = Urochloa mosambicensis flowerhead15 NWP - Flickr - Macleay Grass Man.jpg | image_caption = Urochloa mosambicensis | display_parents = 4 | taxon = Urochloa | authority = P.Beauv. | type_species = Urochloa panicoides | type_species_authority = P.Beauv. | synonyms_ref = | synonyms =

  • Brachiaria
  • Leucophrys
  • Pseudobrachiaria

Urochloa, commonly known as signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Eurasia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various islands.

Several species of the genus Urochloa are cultivated as forage and some species of were probably first introduced unintentionally to the Americas in the colonial period, from slave ships. Urochloa eminii was introduced to Brazil in 1952. Urochloa is the most widely used tropical grass in Central and South America, with about 40 million hectares planted in Brazil alone.

Biology

This genus was described in 1812. It is similar to the genus Panicum, and some authors believe Panicum is ancestral to it.

Urochloa species are annual or perennial grasses, most lacking rhizomes. The inflorescence is a branching panicle, and the plant reaches about a meter in height. The plants are bisexual Some species have a prominent vein in the center of the leaf. Brachiaria are C4 species and can tolerate drier conditions and more light exposure than some other plants.

Ecology and conservation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Brachiaria3.jpg" caption="Cultivated ''Brachiaria''"] ::

Urochloa species can grow in many environments, from swamps to shady forest to semidesert, but generally do best in savannas and other open tropical ecosystems such as in East Africa. In the Kora National Reserve in Kenya, Urochloa species dominate the ground layer along with those of the genus Aristida. In India, the native Urochloa ramosa is an important food source for the Eurasian collared dove and Urochloa species are forage for other local herbivores.

In North America, the native *Urochloa platyphylla (*broadleaf signalgrass), grows after heavy rains and then reproduces prodigiously and quickly, sometimes becoming a weed.

Wide expanses of the tropics, especially the Neotropics, have been converted to pastures of Urochloa species to support livestock. In Brazil, 80 million hectares of native habitat have been planted with African grasses, mostly Urochloa.

Introduced species such as Urochloa grasses can degrade habitat and compete with native species. In Northern Australia, the exotic Urochloa eminii competes with the native tree Alphitonia petriei by inhibiting the growth of seedlings, slowing the conversion of abandoned pastureland to natural forest. In the Paragominas area of Brazil, however, native forest outcompetes cultivated stands of *Urochloa *and other exotic forage grasses, and ranchers struggle to maintain pasture cover. Native species may also utilize exotic *Urochloa *as a food resource, such as the rock cavy, a native rodent of the caatinga.

Cultivation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Brachiaria_field_in_colombia.jpg" caption="''Brachiaria'' cultivation in Colombia"] ::

*Urochloa *is the single most important genus of forage grass for pastures in the tropics. *Urochloa *cultivars can grow in infertile and acidic soils. Brazil is the leading user and producer of *Urochloa *seeds in the Americas.

Mexico has put effort into improving its trade in *Urochloa *cultivars, and the grass is thought to have made a positive impact on its milk and beef industries. Central American countries have also increased seed sales and area planted in the grass. The annual growth rate of seed sales in 2009 was 32% in Mexico, 62% in Honduras, 45% in Nicaragua, 39% in Costa Rica, and 54% in Panama. The area planted with *Urochloa *during this period was about 6.5% of the total surface of permanent grasses in Mexico, 12.5% in Honduras, 1% in Nicaragua, 18.7% in Costa Rica, and 0.1% in Panama.

Agricultural pests of *Urochloa *include spittlebugs, leafcutter ants, and mound-building termites.

Other insect pests include:

Species

As of 2024, more than a hundred species have been accepted in the genus Urochloa:

Formerly included

Numerous species once considered members of Urochloa but are now regarded as better suited to other genera, such as Alloteropsis, Ixophorus, Oplismenus, Panicum, and Rupichloa.

References

References

  1. (1999-03-09). "Genus: ''Urochloa'' P. Beauv.". United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. P.Beauv. Ess. Agrostogr.: 52 (1812)
  3. "''Urochloa'' P.Beauv. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science'".
  4. [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=134217 Flora of Pakistan]
  5. [https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=UROCH ''Urochloa''.] USDA PLANTS.
  6. [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=134217 Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 523 尾稃草属 wei fu cao shu ''Urochloa'' P. Beauvois, Ess. Agrostogr. 52. 1812. ]
  7. [http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:414957 Atlas of Living Australia]
  8. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394131#page/136/mode/1up Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 52-53] descriptions in Latin, commentary in French
  9. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394131#page/136/mode/1up Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie plate XI (11), figure I (1)] line drawings of flower parts of ''Urochloa panicoides''
  10. [http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/info2.asp?name=Urochloa&type=treatment ''Urochloa''.] Grass Manual. Flora of North America.
  11. Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. [http://delta-intkey.com/grass/www/urochloa.htm ''Urochloa''.] The Grass Genera of the World. DELTA – DEscription Language for TAxonomy.
  12. (1996). "Brachiaria: Biology, Agronomy, and Improvement". CIAT.
  13. (2005). "Molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis of Brachiaria and Urochloa (Poaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
  14. Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. (2008). [http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/delta/grass/www/brachiar.htm ''Brachiaria''.] {{webarchive. link. (January 15, 2013 The Grass Genera of the World. Retrieved 7 November 2011.)
  15. and the flowers are fleshy, with 3 [[stamen
  16. In Angola, ''Urochloa brizantha'' grows on [[termite
  17. (2009). "A preliminary investigation of small mammal biology in the Kora National Reserve, Kenya". Journal of Tropical Ecology.
  18. (1975). "Breeding Biology of the Indian Ring Dove in the Rajasthan Desert". The Auk.
  19. (2003). "Influence of environmental factors on broadleaf signalgrass (Brachiaria platyphylla) germination". Weed Science.
  20. (2004). "Nitrogen cycling in ''Brachiaria'' pastures: The key to understanding the process of pasture decline". Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.
  21. (1996). "The Competition Effect of Brachiaria decumbens on the Early Growth of Direct-Seeded Trees of Alphitonia petriei in Tropical North Australia". Biotropica.
  22. (1991). "Recuperation of a degraded Amazonian landscape: Forest recovery and agricultural restoration". Ambio.
  23. "Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement". CRC Press.
  24. Holmann, F., et al. (2004). [http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd16/12/holm16098.htm Impact of the adoption of ''Brachiaria'' grasses: Central America and Mexico.] ''Livestock Research for Rural Development'' 16, Art. #98.
  25. (1988). "Broadleaf Signalgrass (Brachiaria platyphylla) Duration of Interference in Rice (Oryza sativa)". Weed Science.
  26. Kalaisekar, A. (2017). "Insect pests of millets: systematics, bionomics, and management". Elsevier.
  27. [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=449435 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]

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panicoideaepoaceae-generagrasses-of-africagrasses-of-asiagrasses-of-europegrasses-of-north-americagrasses-of-oceaniagrasses-of-south-americataxa-named-by-palisot-de-beauvoisplants-described-in-1812cereals