Digitaria bidactyla

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 10–20 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades 3–5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–2; single, or paired; unilateral; 2–4 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.3–0.5 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 0.5–1 mm long; smooth; puberulous; hairy at tip; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2.3–2.5 mm long; with hairs extending 1 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong; gibbous; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pilose; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; gibbous; 2–2.3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; keeled. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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