Species Detail Grasses

Herbarium specimen - Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Urochloa maxima - guineagrass Synonyms: Megathyrsus maximus, Panicum maximum Other Common Names: brown top buffel grass, buffalo grass, colonial grass, Tanganyika grass Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


Home	Plant Communities	Plant List	Search Forbs and Subshrubs	Search Grasses	Search Woody Plants	Additional Resources	About this Website


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Introduced Season: Warm Habitat Description: A common and widespread weed of crops, orchards, vineyards, roadsides, and riparian areas. Listed as invasive in most areas. Plant Communities:Disturbed Areas Elevation: Below 3500 feet General Description Desc: Densely tufted clumps with rhizomes and stolons. Erect stems are infrequently branched, cylindrical, slightly flattened at the base and streaked with white wax at the nodes and internodes. Nodes are usually also densely hairy. Identification Notes: Light green, large bunches from stout rhizomes up to 12 feet tall; stem nodes densely hairy; seedhead of ascending, spreading branches up to 2 feet long, branchlets short, bearing clustered awnless spikelets, noticeably unequal glumes; Â¼ inch ligules. Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass Rhizomes: Y Stolons: Y Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): Y Bushy (highly branched): N Height with Seedheads: Greater than 36 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - open and spreading Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: May - Aug Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Absent Three Awns: N Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedhead is up to 12 inches long and usually highly branched. Branches are ascending to spreading, the lowest are arranged in a whorl. Spikelets are 2-flowered with one sterile and one fertile floret. Spikelets are brick red when mature. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: N Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat Blade Notes: Smooth leaf blades are 5 to 15 inches long, 1/2 to 1-1/4 inches wide and taper to a sharp point. Leaves are light green, green or bluish-green. Sheath Hairy: Y Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: Y Ligules: Membranous and hairy Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: This is a fast growing and leafy grass which is palatable to livestock with good nutritional value.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer