Plants perennial; cespitose, with or without stolons. Culms 20-150 cm; nodes pubescent; internodes with papillose-based hairs. Sheaths pubescent, lower sheaths pilose, upper sheaths with papillose-based hairs; ligules 1-2 mm; blades 3-30 cm long, (1.5) 3-20 mm wide, with scattered papillose-based hairs, margins scabrous. Panicles 3-12.5 cm, with 2-6(15) spikelike branches in 2 ranks; primary branches 2-10 cm, appressed to ascending, axes 0.8-1.4 mm wide, flat, winged, hispid, hairs not papillose-based; secondary branches present; pedicels shorter than the spikelets, scabrous, with 1-3 conspicuous hairs. Spikelets (3)4-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, solitary (rarely paired), appressed to the branch axes, bases glabrous or with a tuft of hairs. Glumes scarcely separated, rachilla internode between the glumes not pronounced; lower glumes 2.7-3.3 mm, (1/2)2/3-3/4 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined, mostly glabrous but often with 1-3 conspicuous, stiff hairs emanating from the midvein at approximately mid-length; upper glumes (3)4-5 mm, glabrous or pubescent, 5-veined; lower florets staminate; lower lemmas (3)4-5 mm, glabrous or pubescent, 5-veined, with or without a setose fringe along the margins; lower paleas present; upper lemmas 2.2-2.6 mm, apices rounded, shortly awned, awns 0.5-1.2 mm; anthers 1.2-1.5 mm. 2n = 30, 42.

Urochloa mosambicensis is native to Africa. It was recently found in southern Texas (Wipff et al. 1993) and is expected to spread. It is grown for forage and hay in Africa.