Urochloa mutica (Forssk.) T.Q.Nguyen
Para grass
Velvety-leaved clumps to 180 cm, from short, stout rhizome, stoloniferous, sometimes rooting below; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath light yellow-green to light brown, papery, rounded, to somewhat keeled above, densely pilose, hairs soft, tubercle-based. Ligule c. 1 mm, densely ciliate. Leaf-blade c. 20 cm × 5-15 mm, linear-lanceolate, rounded at base, papery, flat, with numerous tubercle-based hairs, ribs numerous, fine, midrib thicker; margins somewhat thickened with close-set, long, prickle-teeth, tapered above to fine acuminate tip. Culm 2-5 mm diam., simple, or narrowly branched, nodes densely villous, internodes glabrous. Panicle of up to 12 racemes on a rachis up to 16 cm. Racemes to 7 cm, of numerous paired spikelets secund on flattened rachis; rachis with scabrid margins and a few, long, bulbous-based hairs; pedicels with a few long hairs. Spikelets 3-3.5 mm, glabrous. Glumes dissimilar; lower c. 1.5 mm, 1-nerved, ± triangular, upper ≈ spikelet, 5-nerved, elliptic. Lower floret ♂: lemma ≈ upper glume and similar in texture, 5-nerved; palea ≈ lemma; anthers c. 1.2 mm. Upper floret ⚥: lemma c. 2.5 mm, 5-nerved, subcoriaceous, very finely papillose; palea c. 2 mm, of similar texture to lemma; anthers c. 1.5 mm; caryopsis c. 1.8 × 1.2 mm.
K.: Raoul Id. Long-abandoned orchard on terraces above The Farm.
Naturalised from North Africa.
Widely introduced in tropical areas as a pasture grass and now naturalised throughout America; formerly treated as Brachiaria mutica (Forssk.) Stapf.
Bosappa, G. P. et al. Can. J. Bot. 65: 2297-2309 (1987), noted that U. (Brachiaria) mutica is "most commonly and efficiently propagated vegetatively. Flowering is rare for this taxon". Only one flowering collection has been made on the Kermadec Is Sykes 1695 (CHR 472385).
