Digitaria minoriflora

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect; 10–40 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 5–15 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides; glabrous, or pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 7–11; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 3–7 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.3 mm wide; smooth on surface; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 0.5–2.5 mm long; scabrous; ciliate; hairy at tip; with 0.5–1 mm long hairs; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.5–1.7 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3–5 -veined; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 1.5–1.7 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: southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ 1997.

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