Digitaria multiflora

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; slender; 50–115 cm long. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; keeled; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long; brown. Leaf-blades 10–28 cm long; 4–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough on both sides; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 8–25; digitate; unilateral; 6–15 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 8–15 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.3 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–4 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 1–4 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1 mm long; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined; pubescent; hairy between veins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.1 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Paniceae. Henrard 1995.

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