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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 setifolia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20–50 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or bearded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 5–15 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, or papillose; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–3(–5); paired, or digitate; unilateral; 10–20 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.2–0.4 mm wide; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 1–4 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; (3–)3.2–3.8 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 truncate. Upper glume oblong; 0.66–0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; with simple hairs, or capitate hairs. Upper glume hairs red. 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; pubescent; with simple hairs, or capitate hairs; bearing red hairs; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 3–3.8 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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