Para Grass
Urochloa mutica · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Pasture/Forage Grass, Invasive/Weed Grass, Wetland/Riparian Grass
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11, strictly tropical to subtropical, with very low tolerance to frost.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type / Unspecified cultivar
About This Grass
A coarse, trailing perennial grass forming dense mats or tangled masses. Stems can grow several meters long, with upright flowering shoots reaching 1 to 2 meters high. Leaves are long and linear with bright green color. Produces terminal panicles with multiple spike-like racemes.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse texture, blades 10 to 18 mm wide and up to 30 cm long, flat, with slightly scabrous margins. Vernation is rolled in the bud. Ligule is a membrane fringed with hairs. Auricles are absent.
Root System
Fibrous root system with strong nodes along the stolons that anchor easily in wet soils. Rapid establishment speed and forms thick sods in favorable wetland conditions.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical Africa; widely naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics globally, including Southeast Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and rhizomatous, spreading aggressively by long, thick, branching stems that root at the nodes.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and high moisture or wet soils. Excellent tolerance to flooding and waterlogged conditions, but has moderate drought tolerance once established.
Mowing & Maintenance
High maintenance if kept as a lawn due to rapid, aggressive spreading, but typically managed as a pasture or forage crop requiring occasional grazing or slashing.
Special Characteristics
High biomass production for forage, excellent erosion control along waterways, but highly invasive in wetland ecosystems where it can choke out native vegetation.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in many regions outside Africa; provides grazing and habitat for livestock and some wildlife, but considered an invasive weed in wetlands and conservation areas.