Digitaria mezii

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes absent. Stolons absent. Culms erect; 20 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; brown; erose. Leaf-blades 2–3 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–3; paired, or digitate; appressed; unilateral; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; angular; smooth on margins.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels smooth; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.1–3.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.15 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.6 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Pacific: northwestern.

NOTES Paniceae. Mez 2003.

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