[5] The green leaf blades are up to 40[6] to 100 centimeters long[2] and 2 wide, and are hairless or slightly rough-haired.

The inflorescence is a panicle up to 20 centimeters long and 3 wide, divided into several rolled, crescent-shaped branches.

The spikelets are solitary, not paired, and they line the crescent-like panicle branches closely.

[1][2][3][4] It has been purposely introduced to many other parts of the world, including South America[1] and the Pacific.

[8] A recent phylogenetic analysis concluded that Brachiaria and Urochloa are a monophyletic group, along with Eriochloa and Melinis, and that further molecular and morphological work is needed to establish clear relationships.

It is grown in pastures for grazing[2] and cut for hay and fodder.

[2] Companions can include grasses such as Urochloa humidicola and U. dictyoneura, and legumes such as perennial Arachis species, Stylosanthes species, Desmodium heterocarpon, D. intortum, Centrosema molle, Alysicarpus vaginalis, Leucaena leucocephala, and Pueraria phaseoloides.

[4] The grass can cause a photosensitization syndrome in animals marked by skin lesions, facial edema, and ruminal stasis.