Digitaria pulchra

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths pilose; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 30–70 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–0.7 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 2–6 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous; glabrous, or tuberculate-ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (3–)6–16; borne along a central axis; erect, or appressed; unilateral; 4–8 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.2–0.3 mm wide. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels terete, or angular; unequal; 0.5–3.5 mm long; smooth; puberulous; hairy at tip.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.2–2.6 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 emarginate, or truncate. Upper glume oblong; 0.75–0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume hairs white, or dark brown. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5(–7) -veined; pubescent and setose; bearing white hairs, or dark brown hairs; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 2.2–2.6 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.