Brachiaria umbellata (Trin.) Clayton

Code

PANUM

Growth form

grass

Biological cycle

vivacious

Habitat

terrestrial

Madagascar:  In the highlands of Madagascar, Brachiaria umbellata is a vivacious grass with many stolons that rises with flowers as from the middle of the rainy season.
Mayotte: Brachiaria umbellata flowers from November to June and fruits form December to August.

 Brachiaria umbellata is a vivacious grass with many branched stolons, rooted at nodes. B. umbellata spreads through fragmentation of stolons but also by seeds.

Brachiaria umbellata can be confused with Panicum parviflorum Lamk., a vivacious stoloniferous  grass, with slender stolons, glabrous, rooted and branched at the nodes., the flowering stalks reaching up to 30 cm but the inflorescences in ovate panicles are smaller, slightly exserted and paucispiculate with often reflected branching. P. parviflolium is a hygrophilous plant, growing quite common in marshy lowlands and along the marshes, in moist, warm areas (East) and sub humid regions of the Plateau and West of Madagascar.

Comoros: Brachiaria umbellata is a common species with a dense and lush caespitose.
Madagascar: B. umbellata occurs mostly on more or less humid and sandy soils and on ferallitic soils of slightly eroded hills, down slopes or on terraces. Environment: There are two populations of B. umbellate that can be distinguished: one from humid areas (rainfall greater than 1800 mm with very short dry season), with leaves generally glabrous, and the other from drier sub-humid areas of the Middle East Madagascar, with very hairy or silky leaves with intermediate forms, on the central plateau (rainfall between 1200 and 1600 mm distributed over 5-7 months). Soil Fertility: B. umbellata occurs on stabilized sand and all ferallitic soils  ranging from poor to average fertility, to form a short grass. Degree of shading: B. umbellata grows mainly in sunny or slightly shaded stations. Culture system: B. umbellata invades preferably traditional cropping systems with cassava or Bambara groundnut (the most cultivated on these soil types in pure culture or in association with corn). Intensification degree: B. umbellata occurs in extensive or semi-intensive traditional farming systems (without fertilization with periodic fallow or with a minimum of organic fertilization) Agro-ecological zone in the country concerned: Eastern Highlands (Centre) Middle West.
Mayotte: Brachiaria umbellata is a native species, very common in crops, pastures, open agroforests, paths, and in villages in hygrophilous and mesophilous areas.
Seychelles: Common species, often used as turf.

Local harmfulness

Comoros: Brachiaria umbellata is a common weed of fallow land and rainfed crops.
Madagascar: B. umbellata is the main plant of fallow land and natural pasture and is a weed common and often abundant in cassava crops, Bambara groundnut and sometimes maize associated with cowpea or soybean, on the Highlands, the eastern slope and the Middle West. B. umbellata spreads quickly from fragments of stolons inadvertently buried during the preparation of the soil, to form a dense turf where other plants find it difficult to introduce. B. umbellata is a ruderal  species and a weed of fallow and pastures. It is also a weed of dry crops, able to quickly occupy the soil if weeding is insufficient, especially in cassava cultivations (cycle more than 8 months) and shrubby perennial crops.
Mauritius: uncommon weed in cultivations.
Mayotte: Brachiaria umbellata is a very frequent weed, it is present in 55% of cultivated plots. It is very abundant in ylang, forage and fruit crops. It can also be found in pineapple and food crops. It is particularly frequent in the center of the island, and it can also be found in the north.
Reunion: unrecorded species in cultivations.
Seychelles: A weed common in cultivations, difficult to remove once installed.

 Fodder: In Madagascar Brachiaria umbellata forms a very short pasture used in the wet season.

Madagascar: The farmers have difficulties to get rid of Brachiaria umbellata. Once installed in crops, this weed forms a short grass which is strongly rooted and difficult to weed manually. Weeding is ineffective in wet weather due to the ability of fragments of stolons to restart quickly. In Madagascar, the invasion by B. umbellata may be limited by the combination of good soil preparation and weeding early in the eastern slope.

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Brachiaria%2520umbellata