Digitaria phaeotricha

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 60–120 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 10–20 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, or papillose; rough adaxially; pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (5–)10–20; borne along a central axis; appressed; unilateral; 1–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–8 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.3 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 1–8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4.3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; 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 oblong; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3(–5) -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume hairs red. 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; pilose; bearing red hairs; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5–4.3 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: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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