Common name
Sabi Grass

Derivation
Urochloa P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 52 (1812). From the Greek oura (tail) and chloa (grass). The fertile lemma contracts abruptly to a tail-like awn.

mosambicensis- from Mozambique.

Published in
J. Bot. 69: 54 (1931).

Common synonyms
Urochloa pullulans Stapf
Urochloa rhodesiensis Stent

Habit
Perennial, culms solitary or tufted. Stolons absent or present. Basal leaf sheaths pubescent. Culms geniculately ascending, 20–150 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes glabrous or pubescent. Mid-culm nodes pubescent. Ligule a fringed membrane or a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades linear or lanceolate, 2–30 cm long, 3–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous or hairy. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes (2–)3–15, unilateral, 2–10 cm long, 0.8–1.4 mm wide. Central inflorescence axis 2.5–12 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged, angular, smooth on surface. Spikelet packing abaxial, irregular or regular, 2-rowed.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary or in pairs. Pedicels tip discoid. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, ovate, dorsally compressed, compressed strongly, plano-convex, acuminate, 3–5 mm long, falling entire. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, 2.7–3.3 mm long, (50–)66–75% of length of spikelet, membranous, 3-nerved. Lower glume surface without hair tufts or with a dorsal tuft of hair. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate, 4–4.5 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5-nerved. Upper glume lateral nerves with cross-nerves. Upper glume surface glabrous or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate, muticous.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, ovate, 4–4.5 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5-nerved, glabrous or eciliate or setose on margins, acuminate. Fertile lemma orbicular, dorsally compressed, 2–4 mm long, indurate. Lemma surface granulose, rugulose or rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse, mucronate or awned. Median (principal) awn 0.5–1.2 mm long overall. Palea indurate.

Continental Distribution:
Africa, Tropical Asia, Australasia, and Pacific.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales.

Western Australia: Gardner, Fitzgerald, Dampier. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria River, Barkly Tableland, Central Australia North, Central Australia South. Queensland: Cook, Burke, North Kennedy, South Kennedy, Port Curtis, Leichhardt, Burnett, Moreton, Mitchell, Maranoa. New South Wales: Central-Western Slopes, North-Western Plains.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Paniceae

Notes
Introduced. In tropical and subtropical rain forests, Brigalow forests, tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, and semi-arid shrub woodlands. Flowers Dec.–July.