Digitaria brazzae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths. Culms erect; 60–130 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 8–30 cm long; 3–10 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–12; digitate; unilateral; 10–20 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2–3 mm long; with hairs extending 1–2 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; clasping; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface villous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; thinner along midline (on either side); 5–7 -veined; with 2 longitudinal grooves; with dorsal tufts of hair (at base); 2 hair tufts in all; ciliate on margins; bearing hairs 0.8–3 mm long; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; gibbous; 2–3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; grey, or light brown; keeled; keeled below. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex rostrate. Palea cartilaginous.

FRUIT Caryopsis dorsally compressed.

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

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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