Digitaria henryi

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose. Culms prostrate; slender; 20–50 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate (narrowly); 3–8 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–9; digitate; erect; unilateral; 4–8 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; flattened; 0.5 mm wide; glabrous on surface; scaberulous on margins.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 2.2–2.8 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy between veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1.1 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; with unevenly spaced veins; pilose; hairy between veins; pubescent on margins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow to light green to grey; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl China 2000.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.