Digitaria cuyabensis

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–100 cm long; 2.5–3 mm diam.; 6–8 -noded. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths 6–9 cm long; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2.5 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 5–15 cm long; 3–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–14; digitate; unilateral; 7–13 cm long; simple, or secondarily branched. Central inflorescence axis 3–5 cm long. Rhachis angular; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels unequal; 0.9 mm long, or 3 mm long; scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.9–3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 2.8–2.9 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous; hairy between veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; puberulous; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.8 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.5–1.8 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 1.2–1.3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl Entre Rios 1995.

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