Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria xanthotricha (Hack.) Stapf

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 451 (1919)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central African Republic to South Sudan. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 60-100 cm long; 3-4 -noded. Culm-internodes unequal, the upper longer; terete; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tight; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; glabrous on surface, or hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; brown. Leaf-blades 2.5-5 cm long; 3-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2-4; digitate; unilateral; 7-18 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.4-0.5 mm wide; scabrous on margins; pubescent on margins. Spikelet packing contiguous, or lax. Spikelets in pairs, or in threes, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2-4 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; unequal; 0.5-3 mm long; scabrous; ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.5 mm long; 0.8 mm wide; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2.5 mm long; 0.8 mm wide; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.9 length of spikelet; narrower than lemma; 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 elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined; with marginal tufts of hair and with a transverse fringe of hair; 2 hair tufts in all (and fringe); bearing yellow hairs; bearing hairs 1 mm long; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; pallid; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface punctate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; plano-convex; 2 mm long. Embryo 0.4-0.5 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. FTA 1997.
[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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 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 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