para grass
Urochloa mutica · Poaceae
para grass (Urochloa mutica) is a perennial grass or grass-like plant in the Poaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 8 and warmer, down to about 17°F.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 3 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.3–8.7 USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 8 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.3 to 8.7 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 8.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 3 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is year round. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as long.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 30 to 200 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, container stock and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium. Its growth form is recorded as stoloniferous.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Urochloa
- palisade grass Urochloa brizantha
- guineagrass Urochloa maxima
- broadleaf signalgrass Urochloa platyphylla
- browntop millet Urochloa ramosa
Similar role and hardiness
- pitted beardgrass Bothriochloa pertusa
- California oatgrass Danthonia californica
- Kleberg's bluestem Dichanthium annulatum
- needlegrass rush Juncus roemerianus
- crimson fountaingrass Pennisetum setaceum
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol URMU, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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