Digitaria gentilis

HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending; 30–100 cm long; 4–5 mm diam. Culm-internodes elliptical in section; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes black; glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5–10 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–9; digitate, or borne along a central axis; unilateral; 6–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 3–4 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; glabrous on surface; scabrous on margins. Raceme-bases hirsute.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.75–4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; with equidistant veins; puberulous; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. Henr 1997.

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