Taxon:  Urochloa trichopus (Hochst.) Stapf



Summary
Genus:
Urochloa
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Paniceae
Subtribe:
Melinidinae
Nomen number:
40919
Place of publication:
D. Prain, Fl. trop. Afr. 9:589.  1920
Verified:
03/07/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
56 (23  active, 19  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Panicum trichopus Hochst.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Brachiaria stolonifera Gooss.
Panicum mosambicense Hack.
Urochloa mosambicensis (Hack.) Dandy
Urochloa pullulans Stapf
Urochloa rhodesiensis Stent
Urochloa stolonifera (Gooss.) Chippind.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  3. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  4. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  5. Sosef, M. S. M. 2016. Taxonomic novelties in Central African grasses (Poaceae), Paniceae 1. Pl. Ecol. Evol. 149:360-361. DOI: 10.5091/plecevo.2016.1221.
  6. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  7. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishherringbone grass as Urochloa mosambicensis1Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource). Note: as Urochloa mosambicensis
Englishsabi grass as Urochloa mosambicensis1Terrell, E. E. et al. 1986. Agricultural Handbook no. 505 Note: as Urochloa mosambicensis
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea   
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia   
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan   
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia   
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaCape Provincee.Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaFree State Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaTransvaal  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria   
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Sosef, M. S. M. 2016. Taxonomic novelties in Central African grasses (Poaceae), Paniceae 1. Pl. Ecol. Evol. 149:360-361. DOI: 10.5091/plecevo.2016.1221.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen   
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas Wipff, J. K. et al. 1993. The genus Urochloa (Poaceae: Paniceae) in Texas, including one previously unreported species for the state. Sida 15:409.
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanUnited StatesPuerto Rico Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:632.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Mali, Nigeria, Senegal
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Cape Province (e.), KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Transvaal]
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Yemen
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
Northern America
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: United States [Puerto Rico]
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia

Reference(s)
  1. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
  2. Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
  3. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  4. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  5. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
  6. Sosef, M. S. M. 2016. Taxonomic novelties in Central African grasses (Poaceae), Paniceae 1. Pl. Ecol. Evol. 149:360-361. DOI: 10.5091/plecevo.2016.1221.
  7. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  8. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  9. Wipff, J. K. et al. 1993. The genus Urochloa (Poaceae: Paniceae) in Texas, including one previously unreported species for the state. Sida 15:409.
  10. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
  11. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:632.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforageas Urochloa mosambicensis't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:230. Note: as Urochloa mosambicensis
Environmentalerosion controlas Urochloa mosambicensisCSIRO Cunningham Lab. 1996. Urochloa mosambicensis soon to be released for minesite rehabilitation. ATFGRC Newslett. 7:4. Note: as Urochloa mosambicensis
Environmentalrevegetatoras Urochloa mosambicensisCSIRO Cunningham Lab. 1996. Urochloa mosambicensis soon to be released for minesite rehabilitation. ATFGRC Newslett. 7:4. Note: as Urochloa mosambicensis
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=40919. Accessed 17 April 2026.