Digitaria ursulae

HABIT Annual. Butt sheaths purple. Culms erect; 30–60 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 3–18 cm long; 2–4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–6; digitate; straight, or arcuate; unilateral; 7–16 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; glabrous on surface; scabrous on margins.

Spikelets in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3–4 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 1–3 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 1.9–2.1 mm long; 0.9–1 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins; with clavate hairs. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; with equidistant veins; pubescent; hairy between veins; with clavate hairs; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 1.9–2.1 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. Scholz 1997.

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