Urochloa mutica
Urochloa panicoides
para grass
liverseed grass, panic liverseed grass
to 5 m long, long-decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes, vertical portion 90-200(300) cm;
nodes villous.
(5)10-55(100) cm, erect to decumbent, usually rooting at the lower nodes;
nodes pubescent;
internodes glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
hispid, margins ciliate distally;
ligules 1-1.5 mm;
blades (2)5-25 cm long, 5-18 mm wide, both surfaces usually with papillose-based hairs, rarely glabrous, bases rounded to subcordate, ciliate, with papillose-based hairs.
10-25 cm long, 5-10 cm wide, pyramidal, with 10-30 spikelike branches in more than 2 ranks;
primary branches 2.5-8 cm long, 0.4-0.9 mm wide, ascending to divergent, axils pubescent, axes flat, glabrous or with a few papillose-based hairs, secondary branches present or absent;
pedicels shorter than the spikelets, scabrous, sometimes with hairs.
3.5-10 cm long, 2-7 (10) cm wide, with 2-7(10) spikelike primary branches in 2 ranks;
primary branches 1-7 cm, axes about 0.9-1.2 mm wide, flat, scabrous and ciliate with papillose-based hairs;
secondary branches rarely present;
pedicels shorter than the spikelets, frequently with 1-5 long hairs.
2.6-3.5 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide, mostly in pairs, in 2-4 rows, appressed to the branches, purplish to green.
2.5-4.5(5.5) mm long, about 1.5-2 mm wide, ellipsoid, solitary, in 2 rows, appressed to the branches.
scarcely separate, rachilla internodes short not pronounced;
lower glumes 0.6-1.1 mm, 1/5 – 1/3 as long as the spikelets, glabrous, 0-1(3)-veined;
upper glumes 2.6-3.5 mm, glabrous, 5-(7)-veined, without cross venation;
lower florets staminate;
lower lemmas 2.6-3.3 mm, glabrous, 5-veined, without cross venation;
upper lemmas 2.3-2.8 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, apices rounded, mucronate;
anthers 1-1.5 mm.
scarcely separated;
lower glumes 1-1.6 mm, 1/4-1/3(1/2)as long as the spikelets, 3-5-veined, clasping the base of the spikelets, glabrous;
upper glumes 3.2-4.3 (5) mm, 9-11(13)-veined, glabrous;
lower florets sterile;
lower lemmas 3.2-4.3 (5) mm long, glabrous, 5(-7)-veined;
lower paleas present;
upper lemmas 2.6-3.5 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, apices rounded, awned, awns (0.3)0.6-1 mm;
anthers 0.8-1 mm.
1.8-2 mm.
2-2.5 mm.
sheaths with papillose-based hairs, these more dense distally, margins ciliate;
collars pubescent;
ligules 1-1.5 mm;
blades 7.5-35 cm long, 4-20 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely pilose on both surfaces, margins scabrous.
= 18, 36.
= 30, 36, 48.
Urochloa mutica
Urochloa panicoides
An African species, Urochloa mutica is grown as a forage crop throughout the tropics, but it tends to become weedy. It grows on moist, disturbed soils and is established in the southeastern United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Urochloa panicoides is native to Africa, and is considered a noxious weed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the Western Hemisphere, it has been introduced into the southern United States, Mexico, and Argentina. Within the Flora region, it has been reported from disturbed sites in the southern and Gulf Coast areas of Texas (Wipff et al. 1993), but it is expected to spread. Populations from New Mexico have been destroyed.
Urochloa panicoides has morphological forms with glabrous, pubescent, or setosely-fringed spikelets. Although the three forms have been recognized taxonomically, Clayton and Renvoize (1982) state that they appear to be of no taxonomic significance. Only the glabrous form is known to occur in the Flora area.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
MD Biodiversity
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
