Digitaria breviglumis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Culms erect; 20–70 cm long; 1–1.5 mm diam.; 2–3 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined; pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–4 mm long; erose; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades 3–15 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–10; borne along a central axis; flexuous; unilateral; 2–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–8 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing lax; irregular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels tip cupuliform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 1.25–1.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.15–0.2 length of spikelet; membranous. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins obscure. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 0.9–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3–7 -veined; glabrous; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; 1.25–1.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute, or apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl NSW 1993.

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