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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Digitaria hyalina

HABIT Perennial. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 40–100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 5–20 cm long; 3–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (2–)3–4; digitate; erect; unilateral; (5–)10–25 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0–4 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.3–0.5 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–4 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 0.5–3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong; 0.5–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3(–5) -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; with capitate hairs. Upper glume hairs white, or red. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; pilose; with capitate hairs; bearing white hairs, or red hairs; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 3–4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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