Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria pennata (Hochst.) T.Cooke

First published in Fl. Bombay 2: 941 (1908)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. & E. Tropical Africa to India. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial up to 100 cm high
Morphology Stem
Stems wiry, woody, almost suffrutescent, bulbous below and clad in silky-pubescent scales at the base
Morphology Leaves
Leaves narrowly lanceolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 4–14 long stiff radiating racemes in 1 or 2 whorls, the whole inflorescence breaking off at maturity; racemes 7–25 cm long with slender triquetrous rhachis, the lower half bare of spikelets and plumose, the upper half bearing distant pairs of appressed spikelets
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm long; lower glume a minute hyaline truncate scale; upper glume as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, pubescent between the nerves; lower lemma coarsely ribbed with 7 evenly spaced nerves, finely pubescent between the nerves (rarely pilose or glabrous); fruit narrowly ellipsoid, chestnut-brown.
Distribution
N1–3; C1, 2; S1–3 Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, and through Arabia to northern India.
Ecology
Altitude range 100–1500 m.
Vernacular
Domaar, horogi, jet-jib (Somali)
[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial; culms 15–100 cm. high, wiry, woody, almost suffrutescent, bulbous and clad in silky pubescent scales at the base.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate, 2–8 cm. long, 2–4 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 4–14 long stiff radiating racemes in 1–2 whorls, the whole inflorescence breaking off at maturity; racemes 7–25 cm. long with slender subtriquetrous rhachis, the lower half bare of spikelets and plumose, the upper half bearing distant pairs of appressed spikelets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm. long; lower glume a tiny hyaline truncate scale; upper glume as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, pubescent between the nerves; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, coarsely ribbed with 7 evenly spaced nerves, finely pubescent between the nerves (pubescence usually appressed and obscure, sometimes conspicuously fluffy, rarely glabrous); fruit narrowly ellipsoid, chestnut brown.
Habitat
Dry open deciduous bushland, typically with Commiphora; 100–900 m.
Distribution
K1 K4 K6 K7 T3
[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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; pubescent. Culms 15-100 cm long; wiry and woody. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2-8 cm long; 2-4 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole. Racemes 4-14; digitate; simply spaced, or in several whorls; radiating; straight; unilateral; 7-25 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular. Spikelet packing distant. Raceme-bases filiform; 35-120 mm long; plumose. Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5-3 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5-3 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes two; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins. 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; 7 -veined; ribbed; with equidistant veins; pubescent; hairy between veins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.5-3 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: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

  • 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