Urochloa piligera (F. Muell. ex
Benth.) R.D. Webster. Bull.
Misc. Inform. 315 (1923).
Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Panicoideae. Paniceae.
Basionym and/or
Replacement Name: Panicum
piligerum F. Muell. ex Benth., Fl. Austral. 7: 477 (1878).
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: HT: Mueller s.n., Australia:
Northern Territory: Victoria River.
Recent synonyms:
B. piligera var. intercedens, Brachiaria piligera.
Key references
(books and floras): [1878] G.Bentham, Flora Australiensis 7 (477 as Panicum
piligerum), [1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western Australia 1 Gramineae
(237 as Brachiaria), [1981] M.Lazarides in J.Jessop (ed)., Flora of
Central Australia (475 as Brachiaria), [2002] D.Sharp &
B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of Australia (as Brachiaria), [2006]
J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses of South Australia (429 as Brachiaria),
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales (396).
Illustrations:
[2006] J.Jessop, G.R.M.Dashorst, F.M.James, Grasses of South Australia (429, fig. 359 as Brachiaria), [2008]
S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South Wales,
4th edn (396).
Habit. Annual.
Rhizomes absent. Stolons absent or present. Culms erect or geniculately
ascending, 15–60 cm tall, 3–7 -noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous or
pubescent. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.7–1.5 mm long.
Leaf-blades 4–15 cm long, 3–11 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous or
indumented.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 3–4, 2–6 cm long, 2–3.5
mm wide, bearing 8–18 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis
3–12 cm long.
Spikelets.
Spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, the lower floret barren
(rarely male), the upper fertile, comprising 1 basal sterile florets,
comprising 1 fertile floret(s), without rachilla extension, elliptic, dorsally
compressed, (3.3–)3.8–4.3(–4.9) mm long. Rhachilla internodes elongated between
glumes.
Glumes.
Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume obovate, membranous,
without keels, 9–11 -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous. Upper glume
elliptic, 3.2–4.1 mm long, membranous, without keels, 7–9 -nerved. Upper glume
surface glabrous or indumented. Upper glume apex mucronate. Florets.
Basal sterile florets 1, barren, without significant palea. Lemma of lower
sterile floret 100 % of length of spikelet, membranous, 5–7 -nerved.
Fertile lemma 2–4 mm
long, without keel. Lemma apex mucronate. Palea without keels. Anthers 3.
Continental
Distribution: Tropical Asia and Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia,
Queensland, New South Wales.
Western Australia: Gardner,
Fitzgerald. Canning, Fortescue, Carnarvon. Northern
Territory: Darwin & Gulf, Victoria River, Barkly Tableland, Central Australia
North, Central Australia South. South Australia: North-western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens Basin,
Murray. Queensland: Cook, North Kennedy, Port Curtis,
South Kennedy, Burke, Leichhardt, Burnett, Wide
Bay, Darling Downs,
Moreton, Gregory North, Mitchell, Warrego, Maranoa. New
South Wales: North Coast, Central
Coast.
Notes.
Brachiaria piligera has parallel glabrous and hairy forms. The glabrous
form of U. piligera, which is otherwise identical to the hairy form, has
been confused with U. subquadripara. Urochola piligera lacks a palea
of the lower floret, has relatively large spikelets, and usually has closely
overlapping spikelets. Alternatively, U. subquadripara (including U.
miliiformis) has a well developed palea of the lower floret, relatively
smaller, well separated spikelets.
In tropical and
subtropical rain forests, Brigalow forests, tropical and subtropical sub-humid
woodlands, semi-arid shrub woodlands, arid and semi-arid low woodlands, shrub
steppe shrublands, acacia shrublands, arid tussock grasslands, arid hummock
grasslands, and coastal grasslands. Flowers sporadically throughout the year.
