What Does It Look Like?
What is it?
Common Brachiaria (Urochloa glumaris) [as Brachiaria paspaloides] is a perennial, creeping grass with slender stems that root at the lower nodes and reach 75 cm high. The leaf blades are narrow, 5–30 cm long by 0.3–1 cm wide, hairy on both surfaces and are commonly purplish. The ligule (membranous structure) at the junction of the leaf blade and sheath is 1 mm long.
The inflorescence (flower structure) axis is 4–13 cm long and rough to the touch, with two to five side branches 1.5–8 cm long and one-sided. The flower clusters are green or purplish, paired and loosely overlapping, and are 3.5–4 mm long (Shouliang & Phillips 2006; PIER 2008).
For further information and assistance with identification of Common Brachiaria, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.
Flower colour
Purple, Green
Growth form (weed type/habit)
Grass
Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat
Common Brachiaria is found in moist, sunny or shaded situations in lawns, pastures, waste places, plantations, upland rice fields, riverbanks and roadsides from 0–1,200 m altitude, and often forming mats on the dry mud of riverbanks (PIER 2008).
Are there similar species?
Common Brachiaria has several native relatives in Australia. The use of keys and descriptions for the species occurring in Australia, such as in Sharp & Simon (2002), can provide help in identification of the correct species.
For further information and assistance with identification of Common Brachiaria, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.
