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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Digitaria heterantha
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms decumbent; 20–80 cm long; 2–5 -noded; rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths without keel; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin glabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.7–1.2 mm long. Leaf-blades 2.5–9 cm long; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 3–4; digitate; spreading; unilateral; 4–12 cm long; bearing 30–80 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis wingless, or narrowly winged; angular; 0.7–0.8 mm wide; smooth on margins.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; heteromorphic (pedicelled spikelets longer and hairier). Pedicels unequal; 0.3–0.5 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous; tip rectangular.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–6 mm long; 0.6–0.8 mm wide; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.3–0.4 mm long; 0.05–0.1 length of spikelet; membranous. Lower glume apex truncate to acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.3–2.7 mm long; 0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or villous. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7–9 -veined; ribbed; with equidistant veins; scabrous; rough on veins; pubescent, or pubescent and setose (on pedicelled spikelet); acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3–5.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1–1.25 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: south-central and northwestern.
NOTES Paniceae. Webster 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
