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 imbricata

HABIT Perennial. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; 30–50 cm long; 3–5 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths without keel; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface, or puberulous; outer margin glabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–1.1 mm long; erose; obtuse. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 2–7.5 cm long; 2.4–3.1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or hirsute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–4; borne along a central axis; spreading; unilateral; 3–6.5 cm long; bearing 20–34 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 1.5–4 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.3–0.6 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 0.4–0.8 mm long; scabrous; glabrous; tip cupuliform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.4–2.8 mm long; 0.6–0.8 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1–0.4 mm long; 0.05–0.1 length of spikelet; membranous. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.3–2.6 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface villous. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; prominently veined; pubescent; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2.3–2.6 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma surface reticulate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Paniceae. Webster 1993.

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