Urochloa whiteana (Domin) R.D.
Webster. Bull. Misc. Inform. 446 (1934).
Classification.
(GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Panicoideae. Paniceae.
Basionym and/or
Replacement Name: Panicum
whiteanum Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 85: 305 (1915).
Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information: HT: Anon., Australia: Queensland:
"Cape False bei Yerraba" (?).
Recent synonyms:
Brachiaria whiteana.
Key references
(books and floras): [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of
Australia
(as Brachiaria).
Habit. Annual.
Rhizomes absent. Stolons absent. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 10–50
cm tall, 3–7 -noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous.
Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface or hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 0.5–1 mm
long. Leaf-blades 4–15 cm long, 2.5–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous or
indumented.
Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 2–4, 2–5 cm long, 1.5–2
mm wide, bearing 8–20 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 3–9
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,
3–3.5 mm long. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret, or
elongated between glumes.
Glumes.
Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate or obovate,
membranous, without keels, 7–9(–11) -nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous.
Upper glume elliptic, 2.8–3.3 mm long, membranous, without keels, 7 -nerved.
Upper glume surface 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 -nerved.
Fertile lemma 2.3–2.8
mm long, without keel. Lemma apex mucronate. Palea without keels.
Continental
Distribution: Australasia.
Australian
Distribution: Queensland.
Queensland:
Burnett, Darling Downs, Leichhardt, Moreton, Port Curtis, South Kennedy, Wide Bay,
Cook, Mitchell.
Notes. Native.
In tropical and subtropical rain forests, tropical and subtropical wet
sclerophyll forests, Brigalow forests, tropical and subtropical sub-humid
woodlands, and semi-arid shrub woodlands. Flowers mostly Dec.-May.
