Digitaria complanata

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect; 10–20 cm long. Culm-nodes pallid; glabrous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades 2–5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–2; single, or paired; unilateral; 2–4 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.6–0.8 mm wide; scabrous on margins; glabrous on margins. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 0.5–1.5 mm long; ciliate; hairy above; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 1.9–2.1 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong; gibbous; 0.5–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pilose; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; gibbous; 1.5–1.8 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; keeled. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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