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 villosa is a creeping annual grass producing a single culm or a loose tuft of culms; it can grow 10 - 50cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, often only being used in times of need.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Djibouti, south to Gabon and Uganda; E. Asia - China, Japan, India, through tropical Asia to New Guinea

Habitat

Waste places and disturbed soils[]. Mountain or hill slopes, fields, roadsides, other weedy or grassy
places[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is a weed of cultivation, invading first year fallows and all arable crops. It is particularly troublesome in The Gambia in fields of maize, millet and ground-nuts[].

Edible Uses

Seed[]. Often only used when better foods are not available[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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