Urochloa trichopus

Last updated

Urochloa trichopus
Urochloa mosambicensis plant12 NWP - Flickr - Macleay Grass Man.jpg
Urochloa trichopus (formerly Urochloa mosambicensis)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Urochloa
Species:
U. trichopus
Binomial name
Urochloa trichopus
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Brachiaria stoloniferaGooss. in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 195 (1934)
    • Echinochloa notabilis(Hook.f.) D.Rhind in Grasses Burma: 50 (1945)
    • Eriochloa trichopus(Hochst.) Benth. in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 19: 89 (1881)
    • Eriochloa trichopus var. glabrataSchweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boissier 2(App. 2): 17 (1894)
    • Helopus trichopus(Hochst.) Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 100 (1854)
    • Panicum dorsisetumHack. in T.A.Durand & H.Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afric. 5: 748 (1894), nom. nud.
    • Panicum mosambicenseHack. in Bol. Soc. Brot. 6: 140 (1888)
    • Panicum notabileHook.f. in Fl. Brit. India 7: 32 (1896)
    • Panicum papillosumFenzl ex Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 100 (1854), pro syn.
    • Panicum trichopodonA.Rich. in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 369 (1850), nom. superfl.
    • Panicum trichopusHochst. in Flora 27: 254 (1844)
    • Panicum trichopus var. chiovendaeLanza & Mattei in Boll. Reale Orto Bot. Palermo 9: 46 (1910)
    • Panicum trichopus var. lasiostachysA.Chev. in Sudania 1: 34, 146, 159 (1911), nom. nud.
    • Urochloa brachyphyllaGilli in Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 69: 40 (1966)
    • Urochloa engleriPilg. in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 15: 450 (1941)
    • Urochloa mosambicensis(Hack.) Dandy in J. Bot. 69: 54 (1931)
    • Urochloa pullulansStapf in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 590 (1920), nom. superfl.
    • Urochloa pullulans var. mosambicensis(Hack.) Stapf in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 592 (1920)
    • Urochloa rhodesiensisStent in Proc. & Trans. Rhodesia Sci. Assoc. 32: 26 (1933)
    • Urochloa stolonifera(Gooss.) Chippind. in D.B.D.Meredith, Grass. Past. S. Africa: 381 (1955)

Urochloa trichopus, bushveld signal grass is a species of grass that is native to tropical and southern parts of Africa, Arabian Peninsula and western Madagascar.

Contents

Description

It is clump-forming grass that can grow up to 1.7 m (5 ft 6.9 in) meters tall, with alternate spaced leaves. The leaf sheath is glabrous (hairless) to slightly pubescent (having small hairs). The leaf blade is linear, acuminate (tapering to a long point) and 5–30 mm (0.2–1.2 in) long and 5–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) wide. The flower consists of 3–20 racemes carried on a central axis 4–20 cm (1.6–7.9 in) long. They are solitary, ovate shaped spikelets on a narrowly winged rachis (shaft). They are 2-flowered with lower floret male and upper bisexual. They have 3 stamens. The ovary has 2 plumose (having feathers or featherlike growths) stigmas. The seed capsule is a strongly flattened caryopsis (grain). [2] It flowers and fruits between June and August. [3]

Distribution

Clump of Urochloa trichopus (formerly Urochloa mosambicensis) Urochloa masambicensis habit.jpg
Clump of Urochloa trichopus (formerly Urochloa mosambicensis)

It is native to the African countries of Angola, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia (and Caprivi Strip), Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa (within the Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces), Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre and Zimbabwe. In Arabia it is found in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. [1]

It has been found in Telangana state, India in 2021. [3]

It is found at an altitude of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level, in semi-arid climates, in grassland and savanna woodland. It is also found in disturbed locations and as an arable weed. [2]

Taxonomy

It was previously known as Urochloa mosambicensis (with common names of sabi grass and gonya grass). [4] [5] Urochloa trichopus

It was first published and described as Urochloa pullulans in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. vol.9 on page 589 in 1920, before later being called Urochloa trichopus. [1]

It is class as Least Concern on the Red List of South African Plants. [6]

Uses

The seed of Urochloa trichopus can be gathered for food, such as in Kordofan (Sudan), Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe. While, in Botswana it is ground into a flour, which can then be as a cereal, which can be mixed with water, milk or melon juice and made into cake. [2]

It is as good fodder in India. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushveld</span> Sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa

The Bushveld is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. The ecoregion straddles the Tropic of Capricorn and constitutes the southern part of the Zambezian region. It encompasses most of Limpopo and a small part of North West in South Africa, the Central and North-East Districts of Botswana and the Matabeleland South and part of Matabeleland North provinces of Zimbabwe. The Kruger National Park has a number of 'Bushveld' camps, but these are strictly speaking in the lowveld, as these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Although their limits are somewhat blurred, lowveld is generally restricted to the more easterly parts of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

<i>Pennisetum</i> Genus of grasses

Pennisetum is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. They are known commonly as fountaingrasses. Pennisetum is considered a synonym of Cenchrus in Kew's Plants of the World Online.

<i>Adenium obesum</i> Species of plant

Adenium obesum, more commonly known as a desert rose, is a poisonous species of flowering plant belonging to the tribe Nerieae of the subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It is native to the Sahel regions south of the Sahara, tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa, as well as the Arabian Peninsula. Other names for the flower include Sabi star, kudu, mock azalea, and impala lily. Adenium obesum is a popular houseplant and bonsai in temperate regions.

<i>Melhania</i> Genus of flowering plants

Melhania is a genus of small shrubs or herbaceous plants. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. The genus is named for Mount Melhan in Yemen.

<i>Eriochloa</i> Genus of grasses

Eriochloa is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called cupgrass. They are found across much of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, plus a few places in European Russia.

<i>Eublemma</i> Genus of moths

Eublemma is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae described by Jacob Hübner in 1829.

<i>Anthephora</i> Genus of grasses

Anthephora is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to southwest Asia, Africa, the Americas, and various islands.

<i>Urochloa</i> Genus of grasses

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.

<i>Odyssea</i> Genus of grasses

Odyssea is a genus of African and Arabian plants in the grass family.

<i>Capparis fascicularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Capparis fascicularis, the zigzag caper-bush, is a plant in the Capparaceae family and is native to Africa.

<i>Bonatea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Bonatea is a genus of orchids native to tropical and southern Africa, with one species extending into Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

<i>Hymenodictyon parvifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Hymenodictyon parvifolium Oliv. is a small rubiaceous African tree and is one of some 24 species in the genus, with a tropical African and Asian distribution. This species grows as a small tree to some 5 metres tall, or sometimes a liane or scrambler to 10.5 m, and is found in low-altitude woodland.

<i>Urochloa mutica</i> Species of plant

Urochloa mutica, commonly known as para grass, buffalo grass, Mauritius signal grass, pasto pare, malojilla, gramalote, parana, Carib grass, and Scotch grass, is a species of grass. Despite its common name of California grass, it does not occur in California; it is native to northern and central Africa and parts of the Middle East, where it is cultivated for fodder. It was introduced elsewhere and it is now cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world for this purpose.

<i>Craterostigma plantagineum</i> Species of flowering plant

Craterostigma plantagineum, is a resurrection plant species in the genus Craterostigma. It is a dwarf growing plant and can be found to make a 'carpet' across the ground, with blooms in shades of blue and purple. It is a well-studied desiccation-tolerant species known for its extreme vegetative tolerance against dehydration and desiccation. It is native to parts of Africa and to India. It is known as a resurrection plant.

<i>Pterodiscus</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Pterodiscus is a genus of plant in the Pedaliaceae family comprising several species with a native range from Ethiopia to S. Africa. The range passes through the countries of Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Plus it is found also within the Provinces of South Africa in Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Provinces.

<i>Commelina africana</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina africana, the common yellow commelina, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is native to Sub‑Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Réunion, and the Arabian Peninsula, and has been introduced to India. It is occasionally consumed as a leaf vegetable, and occasionally fed to rabbits and pigs.

<i>Urochloa ramosa</i> Species of grass

Urochloa ramosa, the browntop millet or Dixie signalgrass, is an annual, millet grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). The native range of Urochloa ramosa is from Africa to tropical and subtropical Asia.

<i>Hewittia malabarica</i> Species of flowering plant

Hewittia malabarica is a flowering plant in the monotypic genus HewittiaWight & Arn., belonging to the family Convolvulaceae and widespread throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. It is a climbing or prostrate perennial herb with slender stems and flowers that are pale yellow, cream, or white with a purple center, and large leaves that can be used as a cooked vegetable or used in folk medicine with the roots. The stems can be used to make ropes.

<i>Ruspolia</i> (plant) Genus of plants

Ruspolia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Urochloa trichopus (Hochst.) Stapf | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Urochloa trichopus (PROTA)". PROTA - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Siddabathula, Nagaraju; Yadav P., Bharath Simha (July 2021). "Urochloa trichopus Stapf, an addition to the flora of Telangana state, India". International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. 8 (7). ISSN   2350-0328.
  4. "Urochloa mosambicensis Sabi grass, Gonya grass, Bushveld signal grass PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org.
  5. "Urochloa mosambicensis| PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org.
  6. Raimondo, D.; von Staden, L.; Foden, W.; Victor, J.E.; Helme, N.A.; Turner, R.C.; Kamundi, D.A.; Manyama, P.A. (2009). "Red List of South African Plants". Strelitzia. 25. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute.