Digitaria calcarata

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 10–25 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; pubescent. Leaf-sheaths scaberulous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 4–8 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2; paired; unilateral; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.6–0.75 mm wide; pubescent on margins. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 0.5–3 mm long; scabrous; tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate (rhomboidal); dorsally compressed; 2.5–2.8 mm long; falling entire.

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

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5(–7) -veined; pilose; bearing white hairs, or dark brown hairs; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2–2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; without keel. 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.