Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria sellowii (C.Muell.) Henrard

First published in Blumea 1: 99 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Tropical America. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean. Elevation range: 0–2000 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Boyacá, Magdalena, Tolima.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland.
[UPFC]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short, or elongated; scaly; hairy. Culms erect; 25-150 cm long; 3-8 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths 3-25 cm long; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2-4 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 2-20 cm long; 2-10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 4-30; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2-12 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 8-30 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.3-0.5 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.75-5.5 mm long; with hairs extending 1-3 mm beyond apex; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated below basal sterile floret. Rhachilla elongation 0.3-0.7 mm long.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.75-5.5 mm long; with hairs extending 1-3 mm beyond apex; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated below basal sterile floret. Rhachilla elongation 0.3-0.7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes two; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.3-0.9 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.75-5 mm long; 0.75-0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Upper glume surface villous; hairy between veins. Upper glume hairs white, or tawny; 3-4 mm long. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 4-5.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5-7 -veined; with equidistant veins; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy between veins; ciliate on margins, or villous on margins; acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.75-4.5 mm long; 0.7-0.9 mm wide; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; dark brown; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; 0.5 mm long. Anthers 3; 0.5-1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 1.3-2.2 mm long. Embryo 0.33-0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform. Disseminule comprising a spikelet.
Distribution
North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. Fl Mesoamer 2012.
[GB]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2000 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/100510203/100510223

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Distribution
Found in Boyacá, Colombia.
[UPFC]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology
Alt. 0 - 2000 m.
Morphology General Habit
Herb.
Distribution
Native from Colombia.
Conservation
Not Evaluated.
[UPB]

Uses

Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
[UPFC]

Use Gene Sources
Crop wild relatives which may possess beneficial traits of value in breeding programmes (State of the World's Plants 2016).
[UPB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0