Poaceae
Digitaria

Digitaria minima R.D.Webster

First published in Brunonia 6: 192 (1984)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Queensland to NE. New South Wales. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; 30-60 cm long; 3-6 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths without keel; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.45-0.75 mm long; erose; obtuse. Leaf-blades spreading, or reflexed; 0.5-5.7 cm long; 1-2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2; borne along a central axis; ascending; unilateral; 0.7-3.5 cm long; bearing 8-20 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 1.5-3 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.2-0.27 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 1.4-2 mm long; smooth, or scabrous; glabrous; tip cupuliform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.55 mm long; 0.47-0.55 mm wide; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.55 mm long; 0.47-0.55 mm wide; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.1-0.2 mm long; 0.1-0.15 length of spikelet; membranous; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1-1.3 mm long; 0.75-0.85 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3-7 -veined; distinctly veined; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy between veins, or between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.2-1.55 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma surface reticulate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea cartilaginous.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Paniceae. Webster 1993.
[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