Digitaria ventriosa

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms 10–30 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 3–4 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 2–5 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.8–1 mm wide; ciliate on margins.

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

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2–2.2 mm long; with hairs extending 0.5 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblong; gibbous; 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 oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pilose; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; gibbous; 2–2.2 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; keeled. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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