Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria badia (Scribn. & Merr.) Fernald

First published in Rhodora 22: 104 (1920)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Central America. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 50-70 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 4-15 cm long; 2-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2-3; paired, or digitate; unilateral; 6-10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.3-0.4 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.3-3 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.3-3 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes one to two the lower present in some spikelets; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0-0.5 mm long; 0.1-0.25 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume elliptic; 1.6-2.5 mm long; 0.66-0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins; with capitate hairs. Upper glume hairs dark brown. Upper glume apex obtuse.
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; pubescent; hairy between veins; with capitate hairs; bearing dark brown hairs; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.5-2.7 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1 mm long.
Distribution
North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.
Reference
Paniceae. Fl Meso-Am 1995.
[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

  • 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