Common Name:

General Information

Urochloa mosambicensis is a tufted or stoloniferous perennial grass with ascending culms up to 1.5 metres tall and sometimes rooting at the lower nodes[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is also occasionally grown in gardens, usually alongside maize[]. It has been introduced as a pasture grass into many other tropical countries, including Ghana and Madagascar. It was introduced into Australia in the early 1900s and has become an important grass for the northern Australian beef industry[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern and southern Africa - DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, S. Africa, Swaziland, Madagascar.

Habitat

Savannah woodland and open grassland, often in disturbed or overgrazed locations such as fallow land and roadsides, especially where the soil is fertile, at elevations up to 1,600 metres[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Apomictic
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

In its natural habitat Urochloa mosambicensis occurs at elevations up to 1,600 metres in regions with a mean annual rainfall of 400 - 1,200mm, exceptionally to 1,600mm, and a dry season of 5 - 9 months[, ]. Plants have tolerated light frosts, but are checked by anything more than this[].
Prefers a sunny position, but tolerates light shade[]. It will grow in a wide range of soils, from clay loams to sands, but appears to be more suitable for lighter soils with relatively high fertility[, ]. It can tolerate both acid and alkaline soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
In northern Australia the plant has escaped from cultivation and becomes dominant after fires[, ].However, the plant is considered to be too palatable and insufficiently aggressive to become a serious weed[].
The seeds germinate early in the wet season and vegetative growth continues until soil water is exhausted. Flowering starts 3 - 4 weeks after the start of the rainy season and continues until growth ceases. Seed matures in 3 - 4 weeks[].
Plants are often short-lived, dying after 3 - 4 years[].
Urochloa mosambicensis is an obligate apomict[].
The plant follows the C4 photosynthetic pathway[].
To obtain the grain, the inflorescences are picked when still slightly green and spread out in the sun to dry. When dry, the grains are easily rubbed from the stalks[].
Annual grain yields of 100 - 300 kilos per hectare have been recorded from Australia[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. It is used as a cereal, usually being ground into a flour which is then often eaten as a porridge[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

It is an effective plant for erosion control, and for other applications where rapid establishment and good ground cover are advantageous[, ].
In Australia it plays a role in mine site rehabilitation[].
Urochloa mosambicensis does well in intercropping with leguminous pasture plants and is commonly grown together with Stylosanthes spp[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Fresh seed has dormancy, which breaks down after 9–12 months storage. Dormancy can be broken by hammer-milling, destroying the hard lemma[].
In India Urochloa mosambicensis is also propagated vegetatively using rooted cuttings[].

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