Digitaria ramularis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths villous. Culms geniculately ascending; 30–70 cm long; 3 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths keeled; hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–4 mm long; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades 5–25 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade surface pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–10; borne along a central axis; spreading; flexuous; unilateral; 3–13 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 3–10 cm long. Rhachis angular; puberulous on surface.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels tip cupuliform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.5–2 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.15 length of spikelet; membranous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 0.9–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–2 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Papuasia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl NSW 1993.

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