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Urochloa fusca (Sw.) B.F. Hansen & Wunderlin
Browntop signalgrass

Urochloa fusca
Copyright by: University of South Florida Herbarium
Specimen collected by Ferdinand Rugel (s.n. USF)
Key West, between 1842 and 1849

Family: Poaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Annual

Native Range: Southern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Spreading beyond its native range as a weed.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

Comments: Although we have treated this as non-native in the past, this was collected in Key West by Ferdinand Rugel between 1842 and 1849 and on an island in Estero Bay (probably Mound Key) by A.P. Garber in 1878. There are other early collections from shell mounds and coastal uplands from the Flamingo area in Everglades National Park northwest to Charlotte Harbor. Although weedy, it appears that this is a native componant of our flora, at least from Key West to Charlotte Harbor. It may have spread as a weed elsewhere from there.

For more images, click on the USDA PLANTS link below.

Synonyms: U. fusca var. reticulata, U. fasciculata var. reticulata.

Other data on Urochloa fusca available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Urochloa fusca has been found in the following 10 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Assumed to be Native
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Reported
Everglades National Park Assumed to be Present Native
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Reported
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Possibly Extirpated Possibly Extirpated
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native

Urochloa fusca has been found in the following 5 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated
Monroe County (Mainland) Native

Urochloa fusca has been found in the following 3 habitats :
Coastal Berm
Disturbed Upland
Shell Mound

All Images:

Urochloa fusca
Copyright by: University of South Florida Herbarium
Specimen collected by Ferdinand Rugel (s.n. USF)
Key West, between 1842 and 1849