Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria gentilis Henrard

First published in Monogr. Digitaria: 284 (1950)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Senegal. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms geniculately ascending; 30-100 cm long; 4-5 mm diam. Culm-internodes elliptical in section; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes black; glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5-10 cm long; 2-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-9; digitate, or borne along a central axis; unilateral; 6-10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 3-4 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; glabrous on surface; scabrous on margins. Raceme-bases hirsute. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.75-4 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.75-4 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 elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. 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; with equidistant veins; puberulous; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. Henr 1997.
[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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[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

  • 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