Urochloa

HABIT Annual (8), or perennial (4). Stolons absent, or present (1). Culms erect (1/8), or geniculately ascending (5/8), or decumbent (4/8); 10–62.7–170 cm long; without nodal roots (1/3), or rooting from lower nodes (3/3). Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear (9), or lanceolate (8), or ovate (1).

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes single (1), or paired (1), or digitate (1), or borne along a central axis (11); unilateral. Rhachis wingless (7), or narrowly winged (4), or broadly winged (1); foliaceous (1/1); angular (10/10). Spikelet packing abaxial (9/9); contiguous (11), or lax (1); 1 -rowed (1/11), or 2 -rowed (10/11), or 3 -rowed (5/11), or 4 -rowed (4/11).

Spikelets appressed (1/2), or pectinate (1/2); solitary (9), or in pairs (9). Fertile spikelets sessile (2), or sessile and pedicelled (9), or pedicelled (2). Pedicels oblong (1/1).

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate (2), or elliptic (5), or ovate (6); dorsally compressed; symmetrical (2), or plano-convex (10); 2.5–4.062–6 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate (2), or oblong (2), or ovate (5), or oblate (3); clasping (4/4); hyaline (2), or membranous (8), or herbaceous (2); without keels; 0 -veined (2/11), or 1–2 -veined (1/11), or 3 -veined (8/11), or 4 -veined (4/11), or 5 -veined (6/11). Lower glume lateral veins absent (1), or distinct (11). Lower glume surface without pits; glabrous, or pubescent (3), or pilose (1); without hair tufts, or with a dorsal tuft of hair (2). Lower glume apex truncate (3), or obtuse (7), or acute (6), or acuminate (1). Upper glume lanceolate (1), or elliptic (5), or ovate (6); membranous (9), or herbaceous (1), or cartilaginous (1), or coriaceous (1); without keels; 5 -veined (4), or 6 -veined (2), or 7 -veined (8), or 8–9 -veined (2), or 10 -veined (1), or 11 -veined (3). Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins (2/2). Upper glume surface smooth (10), or spinose (1), or tuberculate (2); glabrous (11), or pubescent (7), or setose (1); with simple hairs (7/8), or tubercle-based hairs (1/8). Upper glume apex obtuse (1), or acute (4), or acuminate (6), or cuspidate (1).

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male (8), or barren (6); with palea, or without significant palea (1). Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate (1), or elliptic (5), or ovate (6); 1.2–1.25–1.3 length of fertile lemma; membranous (8), or chartaceous (1), or herbaceous (1), or cartilaginous (1), or coriaceous (1); 5 -veined (10), or 6 -veined (4), or 7 -veined (6); without grooves (11), or sulcate (1); acute (5), or acuminate (5), or cuspidate (2). Palea of lower sterile floret hyaline (9), or becoming indurate on keels at maturity (2), or becoming indurate on flanks at maturity (1). Fertile lemma elliptic (5), or oblong (1), or orbicular (6); dorsally compressed (11/11); not gibbous (11), or gibbous (1); hemispherical (1/1); indurate; without keel; wingless; 5 -veined (2/3), or 6 -veined (1/3), or 7 -veined (2/3). Lemma surface smooth (3), or granulose (5), or papillose (2), or reticulate (2); unwrinkled (6), or rugulose (7); without grooves. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse (11/11), or acute (1/11); mucronate. Palea not rolled (11), or involute (1); indurate; without keels (1), or 2-keeled (11).

DISTRIBUTION Europe (1), or Africa, or Temperate Asia (4), or Tropical Asia (4), or Australasia (3), or Pacific (1), or North America (3), or South America (2).

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.