Urochloa eminii (Mez) Davidse

Global description

Urochloa eminii is a vivacious grass with stolons and rhizomes. The culms are decumbent and filiform. The ligule is ciliated. The leaf blade is linear or lanceolate. The inflorescence is composed of one-sided racemes. Spikelets are solitary and elliptic, dorsally slightly compressed on the raceme.

First leaves

The prefoliation is rolled.

General habit

Urochloa eminii is a rhizomatous vivacious grass, often very dense and up to 150 cm high.

Underground system

The underground system consists of short rhizomes and fasciculated roots that easily develop at the lower nodes.

Culm

Culms are decumbent and filiform, reaching 50-150 cm in length, 1.5-2.5 mm in diameter. The nodes are hairless.

Leaf

The leaves are simple, alternate. The sheath is cylindrical, abundantly hairy. The ligule is ciliated. The blade is linear or lanceolate, 5 to 20 cm long and 7 to 15 mm wide. The white midrib is slightly canaliculated. Both sides are hairy, the base is slightly broadened, the apex is wedge-shaped. The margin is thickened, cartilaginous and white, finely scabrous.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence consists of 2 to 7 racemes, 1 to 5 cm long, borne unilaterally along a central axis. The central axis of the inflorescence is 1 to 8 cm long. The rachis is broadly winged, 1-1.7 mm wide, ciliated at the margins.

Spikelet

The spikelet arrangement is adaxial and regular in 2 rows. The spikelets are solitary, elliptic, slightly compressed dorsally, sub-acute or acute, 4-5 mm long. The callus of the spikelet is square. The spikelets are sessile.

Each spikelet consists of 1 basal sterile floret and 1 upper fertile floret, with no extension of the rachillet. The internodes of the rachillet are elongated between the glumes. The glumes are dissimilar, reaching the apex of the florets, thinner than the fertile lemma. The lower glume is 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the spikelet, oval, membranous, 9-veined and without a carina, obtuse or acute at the apex. The upper glume is the same length as the spikelet, oblong, membranous, 7-veined and without carina, pubescent on the surface, obtuse or acute at the apex.

The basal sterile floret is male. The lemma is similar to the upper glume, oblong, of the same length as the spikelet, membranous, 5-veined, pubescent, obtuse or acute. The palea is finely membranous. The lemma of the upper fertile floret is elliptic, 3.5-4.5 mm long, indurated, without carina. The surface of the lemma is granular. The margin of the lemma is enveloping. The apex of the lemma is acute. The palea is involuted, indurated, without a carina.

Fruit

The spikelets are falling entire at maturity. 

Origin

Urochloa eminii is native to East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda)

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced as a fodder plant in many parts of the tropical world: Africa (west-central tropical, eastern tropical and southern tropical), tropical Asia (India and Papua), Australasia, Pacific (north-central), South America (Mesoamerica, northern South America, western South America and Brazil).

https://www.gbif.org/species/4933082