Digitaria remotigluma

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 10–60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–16 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–7; paired, or digitate; unilateral; 2–11 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular.

Spikelets 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; 6–14 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes. Rhachilla elongation 0.7–2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 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; 7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3–4.5 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; pubescent; hairy between veins; with hooked hairs (curled tips); acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 5–10 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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