Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria veldkampiana B.K.Simon

First published in Austrobaileya 8: 198 (2010)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Queensland. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms decumbent; 30-50 cm long; 4-8 -noded. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 2-6 cm long; 2-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2-4; digitate; spreading; unilateral; 6-10 cm long; bearing 26-32 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis wingless, or narrowly winged; angular. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; heteromorphic (pedicelled spikelets with ciliate margins). Pedicels unequal; 0.7-3 mm long; tip rectangular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5-4 mm long; 1-1.2 mm wide; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5-4 mm long; 1-1.2 mm wide; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.2 mm long; 0.05 length of spikelet; membranous; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.5 mm long; 0.66-0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous; 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; 3.5-4 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; ribbed; with equidistant veins; glabrous, or pubescent; villous on margins (pedicelled spikelet); acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5-4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Paniceae. Simon 2011.
[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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[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 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