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Common Signal Grass

Brachiaria brizantha (A. Rich.) Stapf

Description

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Tall tufted perennial grass, up to 2 m. Inflorescences up to 15 per culm. Spikelets, 4-6 mm long, in a single row, glabrous or nearly so.
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Brachiaria brizantha (A. Rich.) Stapf Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=106800
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Mark Hyde
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Flora of Zimbabwe

Frequency

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Common
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cc-by-nc
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Brachiaria brizantha (A. Rich.) Stapf Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=106800
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Mark Hyde
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Flora of Zimbabwe

Physical Description

provided by USDA PLANTS text
Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems with inflorescence 1-2 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath hairy, hispid or prickly, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades lanceolate, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule a fringe of hairs, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spi ke, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence a panicle with narrowly racemose or spicate branches, Inflorescence with 2-10 branches, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Inflorescence branches 1-sided, Rachis winged, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets sessile or subsessile, Spikelets dorsally compressed or terete, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets with 2 florets, Spikelet with 1 fertile floret and 1-2 sterile florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating below the glumes, Spikelets secund, in rows on one side of rachis, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Glumes 8-15 nerved, Lemma coriaceous, firmer or thicker in texture than the glumes, Lemma becoming indurate, enclosing palea and caryopsis, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma rugose, with cross wrinkles, or roughened, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea longer than lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis.
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USDA PLANTS text

Urochloa brizantha

provided by wikipedia EN

Urochloa brizantha (syn. Brachiaria brizantha) is a species of grass known by the common name palisade grass. It is often used as a forage for livestock.

Other common names include palisade signal grass, bread grass,[1] Mauritius grass,[2] Surinam grass,[3] large-seeded millet grass, big ashama,[4] Ceylon sheep grass, St. Lucia grass (English),[5] Palisadengras (German), braquiária, brizantão, capim-marandu (Brazilian Portuguese),[1] zacate señal, zacate signal,[2] pasto alambre, pasto señal, pasto braquiaria, pasto mulato (Spanish),[2] kamuxi (in Angola), gawrare (in Nigeria), and ya siknaentontang (in Thailand).[4]

Description

This rhizomatous perennial grass can reach 1 to 2 meters in height.[6] The root system is up to 2 meters deep.[5] The green leaf blades are up to 40[6] to 100 centimeters long[2] and 2 wide, and are hairless or slightly rough-haired. The inflorescence is a panicle up to 20 centimeters long and 3 wide, divided into several rolled, crescent-shaped branches. The spikelets are solitary, not paired, and they line the crescent-like panicle branches closely.[6] The branches may have purple rachises and the spikelets may be purple-tinged.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The native range of the grass is tropical and southern Africa.[1][2][3][4] It has been purposely introduced to many other parts of the world, including South America[1] and the Pacific.[3] It is the main forage used in Brazil, in an area larger than 70,000 km2.[7] It is adapted to grassland and woodland habitat. It is a warm-season grass that tolerates only light frost. It survives drought better than many other tropical grasses.[5] It will grow in many soil types, but not infertile soils, and it usually requires supplemental nitrogen in cultivation. It can stand some shade and some varieties can tolerate mild flooding.[2]

Taxonomy

Urochloa brizantha is for some authors syn. with Brachiaria brizantha, since the genera Urochloa and Brachiaria are similar in some aspects.[8] A recent phylogenetic analysis concluded that Brachiaria and Urochloa are a monophyletic group, along with Eriochloa and Melinis, and that further molecular and morphological work is needed to establish clear relationships.[8]

Human uses

This grass is used to feed livestock. It is grown in pastures for grazing[2] and cut for hay and fodder.[4] It is resistant to grazing pressure. It is nutritious and palatable. The grass is also used to feed rabbits.[5]

Cultivars include 'Marandú', 'Gigante', 'Insurgente', 'La Libertad', 'Serengeti' and 'Karanga'.[2]

Companions can include grasses such as Urochloa humidicola and U. dictyoneura, and legumes such as Arachis species, Stylosanthes species, Desmodium heterocarpon, D. intortum, Centrosema molle, Alysicarpus vaginalis, Leucaena leucocephala, and Pueraria phaseoloides.[2]

It is used as an ornamental plant and for erosion control.[5]

The grain is edible for humans.[4]

Toxicology

The grass can cause a photosensitization syndrome in animals marked by skin lesions, facial edema, and ruminal stasis. The plant contains saponins which accumulate in the animal liver as sapogenin glucuronide crystals, resulting in liver damage.[5] Neurological symptoms such as ataxia can also occur.[9] This is sometimes a fatal condition. The poisoning is more likely to occur in fields that have not been recently grazed.[5]

Ecology

Other animals will feed on the grass, such as baboons and chimpanzees.[4]

The plant is susceptible to leaf blight caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, rust caused by the fungus Uromyces setariae-italicae, and root rot caused by the bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi.[2] Claviceps sulcata, an ergot fungus, has been observed on the grass.[10] Shield bugs (Scaptocoris spp.) can damage it, as well. However, it is known for its resistance to spittlebugs such as Deois flavopicta, particularly the cultivar 'Marandú'. It is also resistant to leafcutter ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Urochloa brizantha". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cook, B. G., et al. Brachiaria brizantha. Tropical Forages. CSIRO, DPI&F (Queensland), CIAT and ILRI, Brisbane, Australia. 2005.
  3. ^ a b c d Urochloa brizantha. USFS. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Quattrocchi, U. CRC World Dictionary of Grasses: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology, Volume 1. CRC Press. 2006. pg. 335.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Heuzé V., Tran G., Sauvant D., Lebas F., 2016. Bread grass (Brachiaria brizantha). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/490 Last updated on September 9, 2016, 16:15
  6. ^ a b c Urochloa brizantha. Grass Manual. Flora of North America.
  7. ^ Brachiaria in Brazil
  8. ^ a b Torres González, A.M.; Morton, C.M. (2005). "Molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis of Brachiaria and Urochloa (Poaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (1): 36–44. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.06.003. PMID 16039145.
  9. ^ Burrows, G. E. and R. J. Tyrl. Toxic Plants of North America. Ed. 2. John Wiley and Sons. 2012. pg. 968.
  10. ^ Pazoutová, S., et al. 2012. New Claviceps species from warm-season grasses. Fungal Diversity 49(1) 145-65.
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Urochloa brizantha: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Urochloa brizantha (syn. Brachiaria brizantha) is a species of grass known by the common name palisade grass. It is often used as a forage for livestock.

Other common names include palisade signal grass, bread grass, Mauritius grass, Surinam grass, large-seeded millet grass, big ashama, Ceylon sheep grass, St. Lucia grass (English), Palisadengras (German), braquiária, brizantão, capim-marandu (Brazilian Portuguese), zacate señal, zacate signal, pasto alambre, pasto señal, pasto braquiaria, pasto mulato (Spanish), kamuxi (in Angola), gawrare (in Nigeria), and ya siknaentontang (in Thailand).

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