Digitaria glauca

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms decumbent; 5–35 cm long. Culm-nodes pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 0.5–2.2 cm long; 1–4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–3; paired, or digitate; unilateral; 2–4 cm long. Rhachis angular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels 1–3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 1.5–1.8 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.05–0.1 mm long; 0.05 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume margins ciliate. 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; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.5–1.8 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Paniceae. Bosser 1993.

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