Digitaria diagonalis (Nees) Stapf

First published in W.H.Harvey & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Cap. 7: 381 (1898)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial, the basal sheaths silky hairy and breaking up into fibres; culms 0.4–3 m. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 10–60 cm. long, 1–12 mm. wide, glabrous or hirsute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 5–40 cm. long, composed of 4–50 spreading or ascending racemes arranged along an elongated common axis; longest raceme 3–25 cm. long, with the rhachis triquetrous, glabrous or setose (sometimes densely so), bearing spikelets in groups of 2–6; pedicel-tips bearing several white setae overtopping the spikelets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 1.2–2.5 mm. long; lower glume absent; upper glume represented by a little nerveless hyaline scale 0.1–0.7 mm. long; lower lemma as long as the spikelet or up to 0.3 mm. shorter (very rarely only 1/2 as long), 3(very rarely 5–7)-nerved, glabrous; fruit ellipsoid, chestnut brown.
Figures
Fig. 145.
Habitat
Open grassy places in a wide range of habitats from waterlogged soils to rocky slopes, but with no obvious correlation between habitat and variety; 0–2600 m.
Distribution
throughout tropical and South Africa, extending to Yemen K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7
[FTEA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 40-300 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10-60 cm long; 1-12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hirsute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes few, or numerous; 4-50; borne along a central axis; spreading, or ascending; unilateral; 3-25 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5-40 cm long. Rhachis angular; glabrous on margins, or setose on margins. Spikelets in pairs, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2-6 in the cluster. Pedicels setose; hairy at tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.2-2.5 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.2-2.5 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume oblate; 0.1-0.7 mm long; 0.1-0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume apex truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.8-1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3(-7) -veined; glabrous; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.2-2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
A tightly caespitose perennial, base surrounded by densely hairy cataphylls and fibrous leaf sheaths.
Morphology Culms
Culms 50–120 cm., erect, glabrous, nodes dark and glabrous.
Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths
Leaf sheaths scaberulous, loosely to densely hairy.
Morphology Leaves Ligules
Ligule 0.5 mm. long, rim-like, irregularly ciliate.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 10–15 × 0.2–0.4 cm., flat or involute, scabrous on both surfaces, scabrous along the margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of 10–30 racemes, 8–14 cm. long, erect or sometimes arching, few together or solitary along a well developed common axis.
Morphology Leaves Rachis
Rhachis triquetrous, narrowly winged, up to 0.3 mm. broad, smooth to scaberulous with scabrous margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels 3(5)-nate, 0.3–3.0 mm. long, triangular to compressed, scaberulous, much broadened at the apex, with a well developed coronula composed of (2)5–10 long bristles, these overtopping the spikelet.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.4–2.1 mm. long, ovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Superior glume 1/4–1/3 of the spikelet, ovate, nerveless, glabrous, hyaline. Inferior glume absent or extremely short.
Inferior
Inferior lemma as long as or somewhat shorter than the spikelet, ovate, with narrow recurved margins, 3-nerved, hyaline, glabrous. Inferior glume absent or extremely short.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Superior lemma as long as the spikelet, ovate, apex acute, pale to dark brown. Inferior lemma as long as or somewhat shorter than the spikelet, ovate, with narrow recurved margins, 3-nerved, hyaline, glabrous.
Superior
Superior lemma as long as the spikelet, ovate, apex acute, pale to dark brown. Superior glume 1/4–1/3 of the spikelet, ovate, nerveless, glabrous, hyaline.
[FZ]

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 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
  • 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