Digitaria setigera

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 20–80 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 3–25 cm long; 3–12 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–15; digitate, or borne along a central axis; unilateral; 4–15 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–6 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; glabrous on surface, or with scattered hairs; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing 0.66 their length apart.

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, or elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2–3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 0.1–0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; with equidistant veins, or with unevenly spaced veins; pubescent and setose (sometimes); eciliate on margins, or ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2–3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; grey, or light brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, and western South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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