Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria coenicola (F.Muell.) Hughes

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1923: 313 (1923)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Australia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths pubescent, or villous. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 15-60 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths pubescent, or woolly. Ligule an eciliate membrane; obtuse. Leaf-blades 5-15 cm long; 3-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins entire, or undulate. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-10; borne along a central axis; the lowest whorled; spreading; straight; unilateral; 10-25 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 10-20 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.25 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing distant. Raceme-bases filiform; 50-100 mm long; pilose; hairy at base. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 0.5-2 mm long, or 4-15 mm long; tip cupuliform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4.5-5 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4.5-5 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.15-0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. 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; 5-7 -veined; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; light brown; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Paniceae. Fl NSW 1993.
[GB]

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

  • 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 2025. 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 2025. 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