Digitaria sacculata

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 10–25 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 2–5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; purple (basal leaves). Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins crenate; scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2; paired; unilateral; 3–5 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.2 mm wide; smooth on margins. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1–2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular, or flattened; unequal; 0.5–2.5 mm long; puberulous; hairy at tip; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–3.5 mm long; with hairs extending 0.5–1 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong; spurred; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pilose; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; gibbous; 2.25–2.6 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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