Digitaria pennata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; pubescent. Culms 15–100 cm long; wiry and woody. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2–8 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole.

Racemes 4–14; digitate; simply spaced, or in several whorls; radiating; straight; unilateral; 7–25 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular. Spikelet packing distant. Raceme-bases filiform; 35–120 mm long; plumose.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5–3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; ribbed; with equidistant veins; pubescent; hairy between veins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.5–3 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: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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