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broadleaf signalgrass

Texas liverseed grass, Texas millet, Texas signalgrass

Habit Plants annual. Plants annual.
Culms

25-100 cm, decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes;

nodes glabrous.

(20)40-200 cm, erect or decumbent;

nodes puberulent;

internodes pubescent, at least below the nodes.

Sheaths

glabrous or sparsely pilose;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 2.5-17.5 cm long, 3-13 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely pilose, bases subcordate, not clasping the stems, margins ciliate basally, with papillose-based hairs.

usually with papillose-based hairs, margins shortly ciliate;

collars pubescent;

ligules 1-1.8 mm;

blades 7-24 cm long, 5-20 mm wide, softly pubescent on both surfaces, margins ciliate basally, scabrous distally.

Panicles

6-16 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, with 2-8 spikelike primary branches in 2 ranks;

primary branches 3-8 cm, axils pubescent, axes 1.3-2.5 mm wide, flat, usually glabrous, occasionally pilose dorsally;

secondary branches rarely present;

pedicels shorter than the spikelets, scabrous and sparsely pilose.

8-24 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, with spikelike primary branches in more than 2 ranks;

primary branches 1-8 cm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, appressed to ascending, axes triquetrous, pubescent, with some papillose-based hairs;

secondary branches present on the lower branches, short, appressed;

pedicels shorter than the spikelets, usually with papillose-based hairs distally.

Spikelets

3.8-5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, ovoid, bi-convex;

solitary, appressed to the branches, in 2 rows.

4.8-6 mm long, 1.8-2 mm wide, mostly paired, in 2-4 rows, appressed to the branches.

Glumes

scarcely separated;

lower glumes 1.2-1.8 mm, to 1/3 as long as the spikelets, obtuse, glabrous, 5(-7)-veined, not clasping the base of the spikelets;

upper glumes 3.2-4.7 mm, glabrous, 7(-9)-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas 3.2-4.7 mm, glabrous, 5-veined;

lower paleas present;

upper lemmas 2.8-3.4 mm long, 1.8-2.3 mm wide, apices incurved, broadly acute to rounded, mucronulate;

anthers about 1 mm.

scarcely separate, rachilla internodes short, not pronounced;

lower glumes 2.4-3.2 mm, to 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined, glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally;

upper glumes 4-5.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose, 7-9-veined;

lower florets staminate (sterile);

lower lemmas 4.7-6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose, 5-veined;

lower paleas present;

upper lemmas 3.6-4.1 mm long, 1.7-1.9 mm wide, apices acute, beaked;

anthers (1.6) 2.2-2.7 mm.

Caryopses

1.5-2.2 mm.

2-3 mm;

hilas linear, about 1/2 as long as the caryopses.

2n

= 36.

= 54.

Urochloa platyphylla

Urochloa texana

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; FL; GA; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NM; OK; SC; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Urochloa platyphylla is a weedy species found in open, sandy soil in the southeastern United States, West Indies, and South America. Morrone and Zuloaga (1993) considered reports of its occurrence in Mexico as doubtful, possibly being based on misidentified specimens of Urochloa plantaginea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Urochloa texana grows in sandy, moist soils from the southern United States to northern Mexico. Populations in the United States outside of Texas may represent relatively recent introductions.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 503. FNA vol. 25, p. 495.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Urochloa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Urochloa
Sibling taxa
U. adspersa, U. arizonica, U. arrecta, U. brizantha, U. ciliatissima, U. fusca, U. mosambicensis, U. mutica, U. panicoides, U. piligera, U. plantaginea, U. ramosa, U. reptans, U. subquadripara, U. texana, U. villosa
U. adspersa, U. arizonica, U. arrecta, U. brizantha, U. ciliatissima, U. fusca, U. mosambicensis, U. mutica, U. panicoides, U. piligera, U. plantaginea, U. platyphylla, U. ramosa, U. reptans, U. subquadripara, U. villosa
Synonyms Brachiaria platyphylla, Brachiaria extensa Panicum texanum, Brachiaria texana
Name authority (Munro ex C. Wright) R.D. Webster (Buckley) R.D. Webster
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