Digitaria thouaresiana

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 20–100 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–20 cm long; 2–8 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–14; digitate; unilateral; 2–12 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with rounded midrib, or sharp-edged midrib.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–4 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; scaberulous; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy at tip.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1–1.7 mm long; with hairs extending 0 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 0.5–0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; with clavate hairs. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; with unevenly spaced veins (3 central veins approximate); glabrous, or puberulous (mealy); hairy between veins (generally or in stripes); with clavate hairs; bearing hairs 0.05–0.1 mm long; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1–1.7 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown, or black; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FRUIT Caryopsis flattened.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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