Poaceae
Urochloa

Urochloa subulifolia (Mez) Torres Gonz. & C.M.Morton

First published in Molec. Phylogen. Evol. 37: 42 (2005)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Northern Prov. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Like B. bovonei but leaf laminae up to 1 mm. diam., subterete, filiform.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms 20-100 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; terete; 5-20 cm long; 0.5-1 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes (1-)2-4; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1-3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1-5 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs white, or yellow. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; subacute; 2.8-4 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; subacute; 2.8-4 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.66-0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-9 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; with cross-veins; pubescent; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.5-3.5 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate; without keels.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Densely tufted perennial; culms 20–100 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades filiform, subterete, 5–20 cm. long, up to 1 mm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of (1–)2–4 racemes on an axis 1–5 cm. long; racemes 1–3 cm. long, bearing the spikelets singly on a triquetrous rhachis, its margins usually sparsely ciliate with white or yellow hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets elliptic, 2.8–4 mm. long; pubescent, subacute; lower glume 2/3–3/4 as long as the spikelet, 5–9-nerved, obtuse; upper glume 5–7-nerved, with a few cross-veins, not separated from the lower; lower lemma 5-nerved, the laterals near the margin, connected by cross-veins; upper lemma slightly roughened, subacute.
Habitat
Damp soils and streamsides; 930–2600 m.
Distribution
T7 T8 southward to South Africa
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0