Digitaria gayana

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 30–60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–15 cm long; 2–8 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (1–)2–6; paired, or digitate; unilateral; 3–18 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–4 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 2–3 mm long; with hairs extending 2–4 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; clasping; 0.3–0.4 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.8–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface villous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; with 2 longitudinal grooves; villous; eciliate on midvein; villous on margins; bearing white hairs, or purple hairs; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; gibbous; 2–3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow, or light brown; keeled. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex rostrate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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