Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv.

Synonyms

Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv. var. panicoides
Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv. var. pubescens (Kunth) Bor.

Family

Gramineae (South Australia)
Poaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

annual liverseed grass, annual signalgrass, annual urochloa grass, garden grass, garden signal grass, garden urochloa, herringbone grass, kuri millet, liverseed grass, liverseedgrass, panic liverseed grass, poke, urochloa, urochloa grass

Origin

Native to eastern and southern Africa (i.e. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa), the Arabian Peninsula (i.e. Yemen) and the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. India and Pakistan).

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in southern and eastern Australia (i.e. in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, south-eastern and southern South Australia and southern and western Western Australia). Also sparingly naturalised in north-western Victoria.

Also naturalised overseas, including in southern USA (i.e. Arizona, New Mexico and Texas).

Notes

Liverseed grass (Urochloa panicoides) is mainly a weed of summer crops and disturbed sites in Australia. However, it also invades native vegetation and is sometimes regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland.