Digitaria compacta

HABIT Annual. Butt sheaths pilose. Culms robust; 80–90 cm long; 3–5 mm diam.; 8–12 -noded; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade surface hirsute; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–20; digitate; unilateral; 5–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–4 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 1–2 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 2 mm long; 1 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 0.25–0.5 mm long; 0.15–0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic to ovate; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; with equidistant veins; with veins meeting and uniting at apex; glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel. Lemma surface punctate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Paniceae. Henrard 1998.

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