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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Digitaria seriata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely, or moderately, or densely. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated; knotty. Stolons present. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; pubescent. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect; 50–120 cm long; 4–6 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tight; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades 10–35 cm long; 3–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–12; digitate; erect, or ascending; unilateral; 10–23 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–2 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.25–0.5 mm wide; scaberulous on margins.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 0.5–2.5 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.5–3.2 mm long; 1 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2 mm long; 0.05–0.1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume lanceolate; 2 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins. 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; smooth; pubescent; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Anthers 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTA 1998.

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