Para Grass
Urochloa mutica
- Native to:
- Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Lebanon-Syria, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sinai, Sudan-South Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Yemen
Forest & Kim Starr (www.hear.org)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Urochloa
- Species:
- Urochloa mutica
- USDA Symbol:
- URMU
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 200 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Low
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep,oct,nov
- Bloom Colors:
- green, purple
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), Forage Looper (Caenurgina erechtea), Selenisa sueroides
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- waterfowl, wading birds
- Salt Tolerant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from stolons and root crowns after fire. Fire alone is often insufficient for control.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- fertile, moisture-retentive loam
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- thrives in wetland areas and riverbanks
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 7–21 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily in warm, moist conditions. Primarily spreads vegetatively via stolons and stem fragments.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI