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:

General Information

Brachiaria praetervisa is an annual grass forming a clump of slender, erect to geniculately ascending culms 20 - 60cm tall; the culms sometimes form rots at their lower nodes[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It can be used in soil reclamation projects for restoring polluted land.
This species has a wide distribution and tolerance of a broad range of habitats, including several different ecoregions and a wide range of elevations. There was no available information regarding its frequency/abundance throughout Australia, however its vigorous growth habits and weedy properties, particularly in cotton fields, suggest that it is a competitive species. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territories

Habitat

Sub-humid woodlands, semi-arid shrub woodlands, arid and semi-arid low woodlands, shrub steppe shrublands, acacia shrublands, arid tussock and hummock grasslands, tropical sub-humid grasslands. Frequently in disturbed habitats[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Brachiaria praetervisa is found from the warm temperate regions of southeastern Australia to the tropics of northern Australia. It grows successfully in a wide range of climates from arid through to humid[]. This species has a wide distribution and tolerance of a broad range of habitats, including several different ecoregions and a wide range of elevations[]

Edible Uses

The seeds of this species were ground with water into a paste and baked into dampers or seed cakes by Aborigines[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is a potential pioneer species for mine site revegetation[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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