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| Synonyms: |
Digitaria lomanensis Mez Digitaria moninensis Rendle Digitaria sulcigluma Chiov. Panicum brazzae Franch. |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
A tightly caespitose perennial, base surrounded by more or less woolly cataphylls and dark fibrous leaf sheath remnants. Culms 60–120 cm., erect, glabrous, nodes dark and hairy. Leaf sheaths minutely scaberulous, loosely to densely hairy, sometimes glabrous. Ligule 0.5–1 mm. long, rim-like, shortly ciliate. Leaf laminae 6–9 × 0.2–0.4 cm., linear, flat, scaberulous and loosely hairy on the superior surface, mostly densely hairy on the inferior surface, scabrous on the margins. Inflorescence composed of (2) 3 racemes, erect, dispersed along a short common axis. Rhachis triquetrous, broadly winged and up to 1 mm. wide, scaberulous, with scabrous margins. Pedicels 3–4-nate, 0.5–3.5 mm. long, subterete to subtriangular, minutely scaberulous, asymmetrically broadened at the apex. Spikelets 2.9–3.2 mm., oblong, basally adaxially gibbous. Inferior glume up to 0.8 mm. long, subcircular to truncate or slightly bilobed, hyaline. Superior glume c. 2/3–4/5 of the spikelet, narrowly triangular, 3-nerved, appressed hairy, hairs white to purplish, smooth and acute. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong with recurved margins, centrally deeply sulcate, margins inflated, 5-nerved, the central and 2 marginal nerves well developed, hairs in two basal bundles, basally swollen, smooth, acute, hyaline to purplish, also part of the margins with this type of hairs, although somewhat more slender, overtopping the spikelet for c. 0.5–1 mm. Superior lemma somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong, acuminate, basally gibbous and rather sharply keeled, pale yellow to very pale brown. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | Disturbed sites in miombo woodland, floodplain grassland and dambo edges. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | From Congo, DRC and Tanzania, south to Namibia and South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,C,E,S |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 13. Clayton, W.D. (1989). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(3) Page 153. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 35. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 102. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 134. |
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