The occurrence of two casual grasses, Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv. and Echinochloa frumentacea Link in the Maltese islands is recorded for the first time.peer-reviewe

Lanfranco, Edwin

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The Central Mediterranean Naturalist, Vol. 1 (2) - 1983 ,TWO NEW CASUAL GRASSES FROM MALTA Edwin LANFRANCO 3, New Street, Sliema, MALTA. ABSTRACT The occurrence of two casual grasses, Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv. and Echinochloa frumentacea Link in the 1'1 a 1 tese islands is recorded for the first time. Early in October 1978, Mr. Michael Briffa found an unfamiliar panicoid grass in a neglected patch close to the Dragonara Casino (St. Julians, Malta). This was subsequentLy identified as Urochloa panicoides Palisot de Beauvois (fig. 1a), a native of South Africa, Tropical East Africa and India which occurs widely as a casuaL in various parts of the worLd. The author subsequently visited the site together with Mr. Briffa. Uro-chloa panicoides was growing in company of several other ruderals and adventives including Mirabilis jalapa (L. )Juss., Datura innoxia Miller, Ricinus communis L., Digitaria sanguinalis (L. )Scop., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Sorghum halepense (L.)Pers., Echinochloa colonum (L. )Link and Echinochloa frumentacea Link. This Last is also a new record for Malta (fig. 1b). In July 1979, Mr. Briffa found another smaLL patch of Echinochloa frumentacea at the ExiLes (Sliema/St. Julians, Malta). Echinochloa frumentacea which is commonly cultivated for fodder in India, probably owes its presence in r~alta to its occasional inclusion in bird-seed mixtures. The correct determination of this species is critical owing to the fact that various records of this plant from several parts of the worLd shouLd be ascribed to Echinochloa utilis Ohwi et Yabuno, a forage grass of Chinese and Japanese origin the separate status of which has only recentLy been recognised (OHWI & YABUNC 1962). This species has aLso appeared as a casuaL in other parts of the world (DUVIGNEAUD 1976) and is also present in bird-seed mixtures (HUBBARD, personal communication). According to OHWI & YABUNO (1962) and DUVIGNEAUD (1976) Bchinochloa uti lis is derived from the wild Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. while Echinochloa frumentacea is derived from the wild Echinochloa colonum. According to HUBBARD (personal communication), Echinochloa frumentacea has obtuse spikeLets about 3 mm Lonq, the panicLe pale in colour and with white grains whiLe Echinochloa utilis has acute spikeLets about 4 mm long, the panicLe usually purplish and the grains brown. All the pLants so far 47 encountered in Malta ~oincide well with Echinoch1oa frumen~acea. I am indebted to the late Dr. C.E. Hubbard and to Dr. A Hansen for the information which they provided and to Mr. Briffa for permission to rep-ort his finds. REFERENCES CHIPPINDALL, L. (1955). Uroch1oa in The Grasses and Pas~ures of South Africa, par~ 1; A Guide ~o ~he iden~ifica~ion of grasses in South Africa: 380-383. Central News Agency, Pretoria. DUVIGNEAUD, J. (1976). Echinoch1oa u~ilis Ohwi & Yabuno in Le Domaine Universitaire du Sart Tilman et ses Abords (Province de Liege, Belgique) Notes Floristiques. Lejeunia, nouv. ser. 81: 53-57. OHWI & YABUNO (1962). Ac~a Phy~o~ax. Geobo~. Kyo~o, 20: 50. A 20mm received December 1978 revised August 1979 Fig. 1, a. Uroch1oa panicoides; b. Echinoch1oa frumen~acea (nos. 6023, 6355 from author's herbarium) 48 

Two new Casual Grasses from Malta

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Two new Casual Grasses from Malta

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