Brachiaria decumbens is a closely related east African species which has been introduced as a pasture plant throughout the tropics. It is distinguished from Brachiaria brizantha by its stoloniferous habit, flat raceme rhachis and herbaceous superior glume and inferior lemma, but the two species intergrade and some of the cultivated forms are difficult to assign. Glume and lemma texture seem to be the best and decumbent habit the least reliable diagnostic characters[].
The genera Brachiaria and Urochloa are closely related, and the two are united by some authors. See Veldkamp, Taxon 45 (1986) 319. However, this unification is not accepted by all authors - see Flora of China Vol 22 pp520-523 2006. We are following the treatment in the Flora of China and the Kew 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families', and treating the two genera as distinct[].
Brachiaria and Urochloa are distinguished mainly by habit, Urochloa having rather more flattened, cuspidate spikelets enclosing a pronounced mucro from the upper lemma. The different spikelet orientation is also characteristic, though not obvious when the spikelets are paired. In Urochloa the lower glume faces outward, whereas in Brachiaria it lies against the rachis[]..

Common Name: Bread Grass

General Information

Brachiaria brizantha is an evergreen, perennial grass producing a cluster of stout, erect to ascending culms 55 - 200cm tall from a rhizomatous rootstock[, ].
The plant is used as a ground cover in tree plantations and to stabilize the soil.

Known Hazards

The plant (when used as the main foodstuff), has been known to cause photosensitization in sheep and goats, though in Brazil, where the grass is widely used in pastures, no photosensitization effects on cattle have been observed[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

Africa - Gambia to Eritrea and Somalia, south to S. Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles; Arabian Peninsula - Yemen

Habitat

Roadsides, coral sand; at elevations up to 1,700 metres[]. Grassland valleys and open woodlands at elevations up to 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.70 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

Brachiaria brizantha is found wild mainly in the wetter tropics[]. It is well adapted to the humid and sub-humid tropics where it can withstand dry seasons of up to 5 months, it can also succeed in cultivation in warm temperate areas[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 35°c, but can tolerate 15 - 38°c[]. It is tolerant of some frost, though exact details are not known[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 750 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 500 - 4,000mm[].
Prefers a sunny position, but is tolerant of light to moderate shade. Grows well on a range of soils including sandy and acid soils, though does not tolerate poorly drained soils[]. The plant is fairly resistant to drought[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6, tolerating 4.5 - 7[].
Some varieties of this plant, including the cultivar 'Marandu', are resistant to the insect spittlebug[].
Most forms of the plant do not tolerate fire well[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant makes a very good ground cover, and is used to protect the soil in tree crop plantations[]. It is used in India and Australia to protect the soil from erosion[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Division of culms or root pieces[].

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