''Brachiaria'', or signalgrass, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of plants in the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

native to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

regions of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and various islands.Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 520 臂形草属 bi xing cao shu ''Brachiaria'' (Trinius) Grisebach, Ledebour, Fl. Ross. 4: 469. 1853.
Flora of China. There are over 100 species. Some species are cultivated as

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

. Some species of ''Brachiaria'' were probably first introduced unintentionally to the Americas in the colonial period, from slave ships. ''B. decumbens'' was introduced to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in 1952 and ''B. ruziziensis'' in the 1960s. ''Brachiaria'' is the most widely used tropical grass in Central and South America, with about 40 million hectares planted in Brazil alone.

Biology

This genus was described in 1853. It is similar to ''

Panicum ''Panicum'' (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 450 species of grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone. They are often large, annual or perennial grasses, growi ...

'', and some authors believe ''Panicum'' is ancestral to it. It has also been confused with ''

Urochloa ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

'', and sometimes combined with it. A recent

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

analysis concluded that ''Brachiaria'' and ''Urochloa'' are a

monophyletic group A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

, along with ''

Eriochloa ''Eriochloa'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called cupgrass. They are found across much of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, plus a few places in European Russia. ; Species * '' Eriochloa acuminata'' &nda ...

'' and ''

Melinis ''Melinis'' is a genus of African and Arabian plants in the grass family. The generic name is derived from the Greek ''meline'' meaning "millet". ; Species ; formerly included numerous species now regarded as better suited to ''Tricholaena ...

'', and that further molecular and morphological work is needed to establish clear relationships. In the meantime, ''Brachiaria'' and ''Urochloa'' plants are usually not difficult to distinguish from one another. ''Brachiaria'' are annual or perennial grasses, most lacking

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a branching

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

, and the plant reaches about a meter in height.Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. (2008)
''Brachiaria''.
The Grass Genera of the World. Retrieved 7 November 2011. The plants are bisexual and the flowers are fleshy, with 3

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

.Clayton, W. D., et al. (2002 onwards)
''Brachiaria''.
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora. 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

''Brachiaria'' can grow in many environments, from

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s to shady forest to semidesert, but generally do best in

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

s and other open tropical ecosystems such as in East Africa. In

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, ''B. brizantha'' grows on termite mounds and in the

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

between

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

and woodland habitat.Estes, R. D. and R. K. Estes. (1974). The biology and conservation of the giant sable antelope, ''Hippotragus niger variani'' Thomas, 1916. ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 126, 73-104. In the

Kora National Reserve Kora may refer to: Places India * Kora, Bardhaman, West Bengal * Kora, Bharuch, Gujarat * Korha, Katihar, also known as Kora, in Bihar * Kora, Kendrapara, Odisha * Kora, Wardha, Maharastra * Kora, Tumakuru, Karnataka * Toyaguda, Adilabad, T ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, ''Brachiaria'' dominates the ground layer along with ''

Aristida ''Aristida'' is a very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. ''Aristida'' is distinguished by having three awns (bristles) on each lemma of each floret. The genus includes about 300 species found worldwide, often in arid war ...

''. In

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the native ''B. ramosa'' is an important food source for the

Eurasian collared dove The Eurasian collared dove (''Streptopelia decaocto'') is a dove species native to Europe and Asia; it was introduced to Japan, North America and islands in the Caribbean. Because of its vast global range and increasing population trend, it ha ...

(''Streptopelia decaocto'') and ''Brachiaria'' species are forage for other local herbivores. In North America, the native ''B. platyphylla'', broadleaf signalgrass, grows after heavy rains and then reproduces prodigiously and quickly, sometimes becoming a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

. Wide expanses of the tropics, especially the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...

, have been converted to ''Brachiaria'' pasture to support

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. In Brazil, 80 million hectares of native habitat have been planted with African grasses, mostly ''Brachiaria''.

Introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

such as ''Brachiaria'' grasses can degrade habitat and compete with native species. In

Northern Australia The unofficial geographic term Northern Australia includes those parts of Queensland and Western Australia north of latitude 26° and all of the Northern Territory. Those local government areas of Western Australia and Queensland that lie p ...

, the exotic ''B. decumbens'' competes with the native tree ''

Alphitonia petriei ''Alphitonia petriei'', commonly known as the white ash, is a rainforest tree in the family Rhamnaceae from eastern and northern Australia. Other common names include red ash, white-leaf, pink almond and pink ash. It was originally collected fr ...

'' by inhibiting the growth of seedlings, slowing the conversion of abandoned pastureland to natural forest. In the

Paragominas Paragominas is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil. Paragominas mine, one of the largest bauxite mines in the world, is approximately 70 km away. According to an estimate dated 1 July 2020, the city has a pop ...

area of Brazil, however, native forest outcompetes cultivated stands of ''Brachiaria'' and other exotic forage grasses, and ranchers struggle to maintain pasture cover. Native species may also utilize exotic ''Brachiaria'' as a food resource, such as the

rock cavy The rock cavy or ''mocó'' (''Kerodon rupestris'') is a cavy species endemic to eastern Brazil which has also been introduced to the Atlantic island of Fernando de Noronha. The rock cavy is called ''mocó'' in Brazilian Portuguese, and ''koriko ...

(''Kerodon rupestris''), a native rodent of the

caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

Cultivation

''Brachiaria'' is the single most important genus of forage grass for pastures in the tropics. ''Brachiaria'' cultivars can grow in infertile and acidic soils.

is the leading user and producer of ''Brachiaria'' seeds in the Americas.

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

has put effort into improving its trade in ''Brachiaria'' cultivars, and the grass is thought to have made a positive impact on its milk and beef industries.Holmann, F., et al. (2004)
Impact of the adoption of ''Brachiaria'' grasses: Central America and Mexico.
''Livestock Research for Rural Development'' 16, Art. #98.

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

n countries have also increased seed sales and area planted in the grass. The annual growth rate of seed sales in 2009 was 32% in Mexico, 62% in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, 45% in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, 39% in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, and 54% in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. The area planted with ''Brachiaria'' during this period was about 6.5% of the total surface of permanent grasses in Mexico, 12.5% in Honduras, 1% in

, 18.7% in

, and 0.1% in

. Agricultural pests of ''Brachiaria'' include

spittlebugs The froghoppers, or the superfamily Cercopoidea, are a group of hemipteran insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Adults are capable of jumping many times their height and length, giving the group their common name, but they are best known ...

leafcutter ant Leafcutter ants, a Genus#Generic name, non-generic name, are any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the two genus, genera ''Atta (genus), Atta'' and ''Acromyrmex''. These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all Endemism, ende ...

s, and

mound-building termites Mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds. These termites live in Africa, Australia and South America. The mounds sometimes have a diameter of . Most of the mounds are in well-drained areas. Termite mounds usuall ...

. Other insect pests include: *shoot flies ''

Atherigona oryzae ''Atherigona oryzae'', the rice shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. It is found in Asia and Australia. It is known to affect rice, kodo millet ''Paspalum scrobiculatum'', commonly called Kodo millet or Koda millet,A. E. Gran ...

'', ''

Atherigona pulla ''Atherigona pulla'', the proso millet shoot fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. The larvae feed on the central growing shoots of crops such as proso millet and little millet. It is found in South Asia.Ravulapenta Sathish, M Manjunat ...

'', and ''

Atherigona punctata ''Atherigona punctata'', the Coimbatore wheat stem fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae. In South India, it is a pest of the wheat plant, ''Triticum aestivum Common wheat (''Triticum aestivum''), also known as bread wheat, is a cu ...

'' *caseworm '' Paraponyx stagnalis'' *red hairy caterpillars ''

Amsacta albistriga ''Amsacta albistriga'', the red hairy caterpillar, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in southern India, where it has been recorded feeding on finger millet and sorghum. The wingspan is . The larvae defoliate various agricultural c ...

'' and '' Amsacta moorei''

Diversity

;SpeciesThe Plant List search for ''Brachiaria''
/ref> * '' Brachiaria adspersa'' * '' Brachiaria advena'' * '' Brachiaria albicoma'' * '' Brachiaria ambigens'' * '' Brachiaria antsirabensis'' * '' Brachiaria argentea'' * '' Brachiaria arida'' * '' Brachiaria arizonica'' * '' Brachiaria arrecta'' * '' Brachiaria atrisola'' * '' Brachiaria bemarivensis'' * '' Brachiaria benoistii'' * '' Brachiaria bovonei'' * '' Brachiaria breviglumis'' * '' Brachiaria brevispicata'' * ''

Brachiaria brizantha ''Urochloa brizantha'' ( syn. ''Brachiaria brizantha'') is a species of grass known by the common name palisade grass. It is often used as a forage for livestock. Other common names include palisade signal grass, bread grass, Mauritius grass,Coo ...

'' * '' Brachiaria burmanica'' * '' Brachiaria capuronii'' * '' Brachiaria chusqueoides'' * '' Brachiaria ciliatissima'' * '' Brachiaria clavipila'' * '' Brachiaria comata'' * '' Brachiaria coronifera'' * '' Brachiaria decaryana'' * ''

Brachiaria decumbens ''Brachiaria'', or signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, southern Europe, the Americas, and various islands.Brachiaria deflexa ''Brachiaria deflexa'' (Guinea millet) is a annual millet grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to many regions such as Africa, India, and Pakistan in both tropical and subtropical regions. It has been used as a supplemental ...

'' * '' Brachiaria dictyoneura'' * '' Brachiaria dimorpha'' * '' Brachiaria distachya'' * '' Brachiaria distachyoides'' * '' Brachiaria dura'' * '' Brachiaria echinulata'' * '' Brachiaria eminii'' * '' Brachiaria epacridifolia'' * ''

Brachiaria eruciformis ''Brachiaria'', or signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family native to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, southern Europe, the Americas, and various islands.< ...

'' * '' Brachiaria falcifera'' * '' Brachiaria fasciculata'' * '' Brachiaria foliosa'' * '' Brachiaria fragrans'' * '' Brachiaria fruticulosa'' * '' Brachiaria fusiformis'' * '' Brachiaria gilesii'' * '' Brachiaria glomerata'' * '' Brachiaria grossa'' * '' Brachiaria holosericea'' * '' Brachiaria humbertiana'' * ''

Brachiaria mutica ''Brachiaria mutica'' (''Urochloa mutica'') is a species of grass known by the common names para grass, buffalo grass, Mauritius signal grass, pasto pare, malojilla, gramalote, parana, Carib grass, and Scotch grass.Stone, Katharine R. 2010''Uroch ...

'' * '' Brachiaria nana'' * '' Brachiaria nigropedata'' * '' Brachiaria nilagirica'' * '' Brachiaria notochthona'' * '' Brachiaria oblita'' * '' Brachiaria occidentalis'' * '' Brachiaria oligobrachiata'' * '' Brachiaria ophryodes'' * '' Brachiaria orthostachys'' * '' Brachiaria ovalis'' * '' Brachiaria paucispicata'' * '' Brachiaria perrieri'' * '' Brachiaria piligera'' * ''

Brachiaria plantaginea ''Brachiaria'', or signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family native to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, southern Europe, the Americas, and various islands.< ...

'' * '' Brachiaria platynota'' * '' Brachiaria platyphylla'' * '' Brachiaria polyphylla'' * '' Brachiaria praetervisa'' * '' Brachiaria psammophila'' * '' Brachiaria pseudodichotoma'' * '' Brachiaria pubescens'' * '' Brachiaria pubigera'' * '' Brachiaria pungipes'' * ''

Brachiaria ramosa ''Brachiaria ramosa'' (L.) Stapf (browntop millet) is a perennial millet grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to South Asia, where it is traditionally cultivated as a cereal crop. The reconstructed Proto-Dravidian name for ...

'' * '' Brachiaria remota'' * '' Brachiaria reptans'' * '' Brachiaria reticulata'' * '' Brachiaria rugulosa'' * '' Brachiaria ruziziensis'' * '' Brachiaria scalaris'' * '' Brachiaria schoenfelderi'' * '' Brachiaria semiundulata'' * '' Brachiaria semiverticillata'' * '' Brachiaria serpens'' * ''

Brachiaria serrata ''Brachiaria'', or signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family native to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, southern Europe, the Americas, and various islands.< ...

Acroceras ''Acroceras'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family. The genus is widespread across warmer parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with a high amount of diversity in Madagascar.Ahmed, Z.U. (ed.) (2008). Encyclopedia ...

Echinochloa ''Echinochloa'' is a very widespread genus of plants in the grass family and tribe Paniceae. Some of the species are known by the common names barnyard grass or cockspur grass. Some of the species within this genus are millets that are grown a ...

Paspalum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

Urochloa ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

''. * ''Brachiaria ambigua =

Urochloa glumaris ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

'' * ''Brachiaria bulawayensis =

Urochloa oligotricha ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

'' * ''Brachiaria callopus = Echinochloa callopus'' * ''Brachiaria capuronii = Panicum comorense'' * ''Brachiaria comorensis = Panicum comorense'' * ''Brachiaria decaryana = Panicum comorense'' * ''Brachiaria digitarioides =

Panicum hemitomon ''Panicum hemitomon'' is a species of grass known by the common name maidencane. It is native to North America, where it occurs along the southeastern coastline from New Jersey to Texas. It is also present in South America.Walsh, Roberta A. 1994 ...

'' * ''Brachiaria glabrinodis = Paspalum glabrinode'' * ''Brachiaria grossaria = Paspalum variabile'' * ''Brachiaria hubbardii = Acroceras hubbardii'' * ''Brachiaria karumiensis = Eriochloa succincta'' * ''Brachiaria longifolia =

Echinochloa colona ''Echinochloa colona'', commonly known as jungle rice, deccan grass, or awnless barnyard grass, is a type of wild grass originating from tropical Asia. It was formerly classified as a species of ''Panicum''. It is the wild ancestor of the culti ...

'' * ''Brachiaria obtusa = Hopia obtusa'' * ''Brachiaria obtusiflora = Echinochloa rotundiflora'' * ''Brachiaria paspaloides =

Urochloa glumaris ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

'' * ''Brachiaria rovumensis = Eriochloa rovumensis'' * ''Brachiaria sadinii = Panicum sadinii'' * ''Brachiaria setigera = Urochloa setigera'' * ''Brachiaria squarrosa = Panicum peteri'' * ''Brachiaria stipitata = Echinochloa callopus'' * ''Brachiaria stolonifera =

Urochloa mosambicensis ''Urochloa'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

'' * ''Brachiaria tatianae =

Rupichloa acuminata ''Rupichloa'' is a genus of Brazilian plants in the grass family. ; SpeciesMorrone, O. & F. O. Zuloaga. 1992. Revisión de las especies sudamericanas nativas e introducidas de los géneros ''Brachiaria'' y ''Urochloa'' (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Pa ...

'' * ''Brachiaria venezuelae = Panicum venezuelae''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2699312 Poaceae genera Panicoideae Cereals

Biology

Ecology and conservation

Cultivation

Diversity

See also

References