Urochloa

This genus was described in 1812. It is similar to the genus Panicum, and some authors believe Panicum is ancestral to it. Urochloa species are annual or perennial grasses, most lacking rhizomes. The inflorescence is a branching panicle, and the plant reaches about a meter in height. The plants are bisexual Some species have a prominent vein in the center of the leaf. Brachiaria are C4 species and can tolerate drier conditions and more light exposure than some other plants. ==Ecology and conservation==

Urochloa species can grow in many environments, from swamps to shady forest to semidesert, but generally do best in savannas and other open tropical ecosystems such as in East Africa. In the Kora National Reserve in Kenya, Urochloa species dominate the ground layer along with those of the genus Aristida. In India, the native Urochloa ramosa is an important food source for the Eurasian collared dove and Urochloa species are forage for other local herbivores. In North America, the native Urochloa platyphylla (broadleaf signalgrass), grows after heavy rains and then reproduces prodigiously and quickly, sometimes becoming a weed. Wide expanses of the tropics, especially the Neotropics, have been converted to pastures of Urochloa species to support livestock. In Brazil, 80 million hectares of native habitat have been planted with African grasses, mostly Urochloa. Introduced species such as Urochloa grasses can degrade habitat and compete with native species. In Northern Australia, the exotic Urochloa eminii competes with the native tree Alphitonia petriei by inhibiting the growth of seedlings, slowing the conversion of abandoned pastureland to natural forest. In the Paragominas area of Brazil, however, native forest outcompetes cultivated stands of Urochloa and other exotic forage grasses, and ranchers struggle to maintain pasture cover. Native species may also utilize exotic Urochloa as a food resource, such as the rock cavy, a native rodent of the caatinga. ==Cultivation==

Urochloa is the single most important genus of forage grass for pastures in the tropics. Central American countries have also increased seed sales and area planted in the grass. leafcutter ants, and mound-building termites. • shoot flies Atherigona oryzae, Atherigona pulla, and Atherigona punctata • caseworm Paraponyx stagnalis • red hairy caterpillars Amsacta albistriga and Amsacta moorei ==Species==

As of 2024, more than a hundred species have been accepted in the genus Urochloa: such as Alloteropsis, Ixophorus, Oplismenus, Panicum, and Rupichloa. ==References==