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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 pellita
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 100–300 cm long; 2 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tight; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 3–4 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 25–35 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially, or on both sides. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 3–4; digitate; unilateral; 15–17 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2–4 cm long; villous. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 1–1.5 mm wide; scabrous on margins.
Spikelets appressed; in pairs, or in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2–4 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 1–4 mm long; scabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 3–3.5 mm long; with hairs extending 1–1.5 mm beyond apex; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; clasping; 0.3–0.6 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; pallid; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume hairs 1–1.5 mm long. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; pallid; 5 -veined; with equidistant veins; ciliate on margins; bearing hairs 0.5–1 mm long; acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3–3.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.
NOTES Paniceae. FTA 1998.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
