Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria mezii Kaneh.

First published in Fl. Micron.: 401 (1933)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is New Guinea, Marianas. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes absent. Stolons absent. Culms erect; 20 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; brown; erose. Leaf-blades 2-3 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2-3; paired, or digitate; appressed; unilateral; 3-6 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; angular; smooth on margins. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels smooth; tip widened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.1-3.5 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.1-3.5 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.15 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5-0.6 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Pacific: northwestern.
Reference
Paniceae. Mez 2003.
[GB]

Sources

  • 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0