Urochloa trichopus
{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Urochloa mosambicensis plant12 NWP - Flickr - Macleay Grass Man.jpg
|image_caption = Urochloa trichopus (formerly Urochloa mosambicensis)
|genus = Urochloa
|species = trichopus
|synonyms = {{collapsible list|
- Brachiaria stolonifera {{au|Gooss. in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 195 (1934)}}
- Echinochloa notabilis {{au|(Hook.f.) D.Rhind in Grasses Burma: 50 (1945)}}
- Eriochloa trichopus {{au|(Hochst.) Benth. in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 19: 89 (1881)}}
- Eriochloa trichopus var. glabrata {{au|Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boissier 2(App. 2): 17 (1894)}}
- Helopus trichopus {{au|(Hochst.) Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 100 (1854)}}
- Panicum dorsisetum {{au|Hack. in T.A.Durand & H.Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afric. 5: 748 (1894), nom. nud.}}
- Panicum mosambicense {{au|Hack. in Bol. Soc. Brot. 6: 140 (1888)}}
- Panicum notabile {{au|Hook.f. in Fl. Brit. India 7: 32 (1896)}}
- Panicum papillosum {{au|Fenzl ex Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 100 (1854), pro syn.}}
- Panicum trichopodon {{au|A.Rich. in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 369 (1850), nom. superfl.}}
- Panicum trichopus {{au|Hochst. in Flora 27: 254 (1844)}}
- Panicum trichopus var. chiovendae {{au|Lanza & Mattei in Boll. Reale Orto Bot. Palermo 9: 46 (1910)}}
- Panicum trichopus var. lasiostachys {{au|A.Chev. in Sudania 1: 34, 146, 159 (1911), nom. nud.}}
- Urochloa brachyphylla {{au|Gilli in Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 69: 40 (1966)}}
- Urochloa engleri {{au|Pilg. in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 15: 450 (1941)}}
- Urochloa mosambicensis {{au|(Hack.) Dandy in J. Bot. 69: 54 (1931)}}
- Urochloa pullulans {{au|Stapf in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 590 (1920), nom. superfl.}}
- Urochloa pullulans var. mosambicensis {{au|(Hack.) Stapf in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 592 (1920)}}
- Urochloa rhodesiensis {{au|Stent in Proc. & Trans. Rhodesia Sci. Assoc. 32: 26 (1933)}}
- Urochloa stolonifera {{au|(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.
Description
It is clump-forming grass that can grow up to {{cvt|1.7|m|1}} 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 {{cvt|5|–|30|mm|1}} long and {{cvt|5|–|20|mm|1}} wide. The flower consists of 3–20 racemes carried on a central axis {{cvt|4|–|20|cm|1}} 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).{{cite web |title=Urochloa trichopus (PROTA) |url=https://uses.plantnet-project.org/e/index.php?title=Urochloa_trichopus_(PROTA)&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop |website=PROTA - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa |access-date=5 October 2023}} It flowers and fruits between June and August.
Distribution
File:Urochloa masambicensis habit.jpg
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.
It has been found in Telangana state, India in 2021.{{cite journal |last1=Siddabathula |first1=Nagaraju |last2=Yadav P. |first2=Bharath Simha |title=Urochloa trichopus Stapf, an addition to the flora of Telangana state, India |journal=International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Engineering and Technology |date=July 2021 |volume=8 |issue=7 |issn=2350-0328}}
It is found at an altitude of up to {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, in semi-arid climates, in grassland and savanna woodland. It is also found in disturbed locations and as an arable weed.
Taxonomy
It was previously known as Urochloa mosambicensis (with common names of sabi grass and gonya grass).{{Cite web|url=https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Urochloa+mosambicensis|title=Urochloa mosambicensis Sabi grass, Gonya grass, Bushveld signal grass PFAF Plant Database|website=pfaf.org}}{{Cite web|url=https://pza.sanbi.org/urochloa-mosambicensis|title=Urochloa mosambicensis | PlantZAfrica|website=pza.sanbi.org}}
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.
It is class as Least Concern on the Red List of South African Plants.{{cite journal |last1=Raimondo |first1=D. |last2=von Staden |first2=L. |last3=Foden |first3=W. |last4=Victor |first4=J.E. |last5=Helme |first5=N.A. |last6=Turner |first6=R.C. |last7=Kamundi |first7=D.A. |last8=Manyama |first8=P.A. |title=Red List of South African Plants. |journal=Strelitzia |date=2009 |volume=25 |publisher=South African National Biodiversity Institute |location=Pretoria}}
Uses
References
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Category:Plants described in 1920
Category:Flora of West Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of East Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of South Tropical Africa
Category:Flora of Southern Africa
Category:Flora of Saudi Arabia
Category:Taxa named by Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter