Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria argyrotricha (Andersson) Chiov.

First published in Res. Sci. Somalia Ital. 1: 183 (1916)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
A loosely caespitose annual (or short-living perennial?).
Morphology Culms
Culms 40–70 cm., erect or ascending, glabrous, nodes dark, glabrous.
Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths
Leaf sheaths glabrous.
Morphology Leaves Ligules
Ligule 0.5–1 mm. long, rim-like.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 4–9 × 0.4–1 cm., linear, flat, glabrous on both surfaces, sometimes minutely scaberulous, margins scaberulous, crisped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of 2–4 racemes, (5)97–14 cm. long, erect, solitary along a short common axis.
Morphology Leaves Rachis
Rhachis triquetrous, broadly winged, up to 1 mm. broad, smooth with scaberulous margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicel 3-nate, 0.5–3 mm. long, subterete, smooth, slightly broadened at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.0–3.0 mm. long, oblong-lanceolate.
Inferior
Inferior glume rim-like or absent. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate with recurved margins, with 3 prominent nerves and sometimes 2 less developed marginal nerves, appressed hairy, hairs overtopping the spikelet.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Superior glume somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong triangular, with 3 prominent nerves, appressed hairy, hairs white to purplish, undulating, with a rough, papillose wall. Inferior glume rim-like or absent.
Superior
Superior glume somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong triangular, with 3 prominent nerves, appressed hairy, hairs white to purplish, undulating, with a rough, papillose wall. Superior lemma somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate, apiculate, pale yellow to pale brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate with recurved margins, with 3 prominent nerves and sometimes 2 less developed marginal nerves, appressed hairy, hairs overtopping the spikelet. Superior lemma somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate, apiculate, pale yellow to pale brown.
[FZ]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual up to 70 cm high, erect or sprawling and rooting from the lower nodes; leaves broadly linear to narrowly lanceolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 2–3(–5) digitate racemes; racemes 6–12(–16) cm long, the spikelets in threes on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with low rounded midrib
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets oblong-elliptic, (1.5–)2.4–2.9 mm long; lower glume a truncate membranous cuff 0.1–0.3 mm long; upper glume and lower lemma similar, 5-nerved, obscured by copious soft white or yellowish fluffy verrucose hairs extending for up to 1.5 mm beyond the tip of the spikelet; fruit ellipsoid, pallid brown or yellowish.
Distribution
S2, 3; Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana
Note
Material from Somalia is slightly different from that of the rest of Africa in that the spikelets are noticeably longer, the leaves slightly narrower and the fruit less strongly coloured. However, the taxonomic significance of these differences is unclear.
[FSOM]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit
Tufted or trailing annual.
[FWTA]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Stolons present. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 30-70 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2-9 cm long; 2-10 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2-5; paired, or digitate; unilateral; 6-16 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with rounded midrib. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2.4 mm long; with hairs extending 0.2 mm beyond apex; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2.4 mm long; with hairs extending 0.2 mm beyond apex; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1-0.3 mm long; 0.05-0.15 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume primary vein eciliate. Upper glume surface woolly; hairy between veins; with verruculose hairs. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; woolly; hairy between veins; with verruculose hairs; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5-2.4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown (golden); without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Annual, tufted or with the base of the culms decumbent and forming stolons; culms geniculately ascending, 30–70 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate, 2–9 cm. long, 2–10 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 2–5 digitate racemes; racemes 6–16 cm. long, the spikelets ternate on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with low rounded midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets elliptic-oblong, 1.5–2.4 mm. long; lower glume a little truncate membranous cuff 0.1–0.3 mm. long; upper glume and lower lemma similar, as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved, obscured by copious soft snow-white (occasionally purplish) fluffy verrucose hairs extending beyond the tip of the spikelet, usually the midnerve exposed, and occasionally the side nerves also visible as glabrous ribs; fruit ellipsoid, golden brown.
Habitat
Sandy soils of the seashore and coastal bushland, with rare inland occurrences; 0–300(–1500) m.
Distribution
K7 P T3 T6 Z
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0