Derivation
Urochloa P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr. 52 (1812). From the Greek oura (tail) and chloa (grass). The fertile lemma contracts abruptly to a tail-like awn.

oligotricha- from the Greek oligos (few) and thrix (hair). Plant in whole or part sparsely hairy.

Published in
Blumea 4: 502 (1941).

Common synonyms
Urochloa bolbodes (Steud.) Stapf

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Stolons absent. Basal leaf sheaths woolly. Culms 30–100 cm tall. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous or pubescent. Ligule a fringed membrane or a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades 6–45 cm long, 5–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hairy. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 6–20, unilateral, 2–12 cm long, 0.7–1 mm wide. Central inflorescence axis 4–10 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged, angular, smooth on surface or scabrous on surface, glabrous on surface or with scattered hairs. Spikelet packing abaxial, irregular, 2–4-rowed.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary or in pairs. Pedicels tip discoid. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret male, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, lanceolate, dorsally compressed, compressed strongly, plano-convex, acuminate, 3.5–5 mm long, falling entire. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, 2.7–3.6 mm long, 66–75% of length of spikelet, herbaceous, 5–7-nerved. Lower glume surface glabrous or pubescent. Lower glume apex obtuse or acute. Upper glume lanceolate, 3.9–4.8 mm long, 1000% of length of spikelet, membranous, 7-nerved. Upper glume surface glabrous or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate, muticous.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, lanceolate, 3.8–4.7 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5-nerved, glabrous or pubescent, eciliate on margins or setose on margins, acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic, dorsally compressed, 2–2.8 mm long, indurate. Lemma surface granulose, rugulose or rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse, mucronate or awned. Median (principal) awn 0.3–0.6 mm long overall. Palea indurate.

Continental Distribution:
Africa and Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
Queensland: Cook.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Paniceae

Notes
Introduced. In tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands. Flowers Jan.–Aug.