Digitaria natalensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths dark brown; pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 70–160 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–12 mm long. Leaf-blades 10–40 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–13; digitate; in several whorls; erect; unilateral; 15–20 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.8 mm wide; scabrous on surface; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 0.5–3.5 mm long; scabrous; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 2.8–4.2 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5–1(–2) mm long; 0.1–0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 0.4 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 oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; scabrous; rough throughout; pubescent, or pubescent and setose; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5–4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow, or light brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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