Digitaria abyssinica

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent, or villous. Culms decumbent, or rambling; weak; 5–60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 2–12 cm long; 3–10 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–25; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2–11 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–9 cm long. Rhachis wingless, or narrowly winged; angular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels free, or fused to each other; united below; unequal.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; 1.5–2.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, or oblate; 0.1–0.8 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.66–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; glabrous; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; grey, or light brown, or purple; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: north-central. South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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