Digitaria comifera

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 30–80 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 4–10 cm long; 2–5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–7; digitate; unilateral; 3–15 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–5 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.2–2.7 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex emarginate, or truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; with clavate hairs. 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 (flanking midvein); 7 -veined; with thickened veins; with unevenly spaced veins (laterals contiguous or accrescent); smooth, or tuberculate; rough on veins; glabrous (except for a few hairs at tip), or setose, or villous; hairy on veins; with clavate hairs (at tip); acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 2.2–2.7 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. 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.