Digitaria thouarsiana A.Camus

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae > Digitaria

Characteristics

Tufted annual; culms 20–100 cm. high, ascending.. Leaf-blades 3–20 cm. long, 2–8 mm. wide.. Inflorescence of 2–14 subdigitate racemes; racemes 2–12 cm. long, the spikelets in clusters of 3–4 on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with rounded or shallowly angular midrib; pedicels scaberulous or with a few short hairs at the tip, rarely with a definite corona of hairs.. Spikelets elliptic, 1–1.7 mm. long; lower glume absent; upper glume 1/2–4/5 as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, shortly pubescent with clavate hairs, rarely glabrous; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved, the 3 central nerves close together, mealy pubescent on the outer side of the nerves or all over, rarely glabrous, the hairs clavate and short (up to 0.1 mm.), the lemma-tip visible; fruit elliptic, dorsally flattened, dark brown to black.
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Tufted annual, 0.2-1.0 m high. Leaf blade 3-20 x 2-8 mm; ligule an unfringed membrane. Inflorescence subdigitate, of 2-14 racemes; rachis triquetrous, broadly winged, margins scabrous; pedicels without a corona of hairs, only a few hairs at apex; spikelets abaxial, in clusters of 3 or 4. Spikelets 1.5-1.7 mm long, dorsiventrally compressed; lower glume absent; upper glume shorter to as long as spikelet, 3-nerved; internode absent; upper glume and lower lemma rarely glabrous, usually covered with white clavate hairs. Florets 2; lower floret sterile, lemma lanceolate, 5-nerved, 3 around central nerve close together, nerves thickened, not deeply grooved; upper floret bisexual, lemma dark brown to black, margins flat and covering most of palea. Flowering time Feb.-May.
Tufted annual 200-800 mm high. Leaf blade 30-200 x 2-8 mm. Inflorescence subdigitate, of 2-14 racemes 20-120 mm long; rachis triquetrous, broadly winged, margin scabrous; pedicels without corona of hairs, only a few hairs at apex; spikelets in clusters of 3 to 4. Spikelet 1.0-1.8 mm, hairy or glabrous, hairs clavate; lower glume absent; upper glume shorter to as long as spikelet, 3-nerved, hairy or glabrous, hairs clavate; internode absent; lower lemma 5-nerved, 3 central nerves close together, nerves thickened, not deeply grooved, glabrous or hairy, hairs clavate; upper lemma dark brown to black; anthers 0.3-0.6 mm long.
Annual, tufted, up to 1 m high. Leaf blades 30-200 mm long, 2-8 mm wide. Spikelets 1.0-1.7 mm long, 0.8 mm wide. Racemes 2-14, subdigitate, 20-120 mm long; spikelets in clusters of 3 or 4 on winged rhachis; pedicels without corona of hairs, only a few hairs at apex; upper glume and lower lemma rarely glabrous, usually covered with white clavate hairs; female-fertile (upper) floret dark brown to black.
Annual; up to 1 m high; tufted. Leaf blades 30-200 x 2-8 mm. Flowers: inflorescence subdigitate; racemes 2-14; 20-120 mm long; spikelets 1.0-1.8 x 0.8 mm; spikelets in clusters of 3 or 4 on winged rachis; pedicels without corona of hairs; only a few hairs at apex; upper glume and lower lemma rarely glabrous; usually covered with white; clavate hairs; female-fertile (upper) floret dark brown to black.
Leaf laminae 3–20 × 0.2–0.6 cm., linear, flat, glabrous, sometimes scaberulous on both surfaces, basally often with a few bulbous-based bristles, scaberulous along the margin.
Pedicels 3-nate, 0.5–2.5 mm. long, terete to compressed, minutely scaberulous, broadened at the apex, bearing a poorly developed coronula with cilia up to 0.3 trim. long.
Superior glume 1/3–4/5 of the spikelet in length, ovate-oblong, 3-nerved, hyaline, glabrous or appressed hairy, hairs white, capitate-apiculate.
Inflorescence of 3–7 racemes, 7–15 cm. long, a few together or all solitary along a short common axis, often pseudoviviparous.
Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, ovate with recurved margins, 5-nerved, hyaline, glabrous or appressed hairy.
Rhachis triquetrous, broadly winged, up to 1 mm. broad, smooth with scabrous margins.
Superior lemma as long as the spikelet, ovate, apiculate, dark brown.
Culms 20–40(80) cm., erect, glabrous, nodes dark and glabrous.
Ligule c. 2 mm. long, rounded triangular, entire.
Spikelets 1.2–1.8 mm. long, ovate.
A loosely caespitose annual.
Inferior glume absent.
Leaf sheaths glabrous.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.2 - 1.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
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Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses gene source
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
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Distribution

Digitaria thouarsiana world distribution map, present in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:399185-1
WFO ID wfo-0000864463
COL ID 363TV
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Digitaria melanochila Paspalum thouarsianum Digitaria thouarsiana Digitaria scaettae Digitaria tricostulata Digitaria scaettae var. glabra Panicum puberulum var. tricostulatum