| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Digitaria | > | compressa |
| Synonyms: |
Digitaria buchananii Mez Digitaria capitipila Stapf Digitaria homblei Robyns Digitaria katangensis Robyns Digitaria katangensis var. hirta P. Goetghebeur |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
A tightly caespitose perennial, base surrounded by fibrous, old leaf sheath remnants. Culms 40–100 cm., erect, glabrous to sparsely hairy, nodes (pale or) dark, glabrous to upwards hairy. Leaf sheaths minutely scaberulous. Ligule c. 0.5 mm. long, rim-like, shortly ciliate. Leaf laminae 5–20 × 0.2–0.7 cm., linear, flat or somewhat involute, scaberulous on the superior surface and hairy near the ligule, scaberulous and loosely hairy on the inferior surface, scabrous on the margins. Inflorescence composed of (5)6–13 racemes, 5–18 cm. long, sometimes branched, erect, solitary along a short, robust common axis. Rhachis triquetrous, scarcely winged, up to 0.4 mm. broad, smooth with scabrous margins. Pedicels (2)3-nate, 0.5–4.5 mm. long, subtriangular, scabrous, broadened at the apex. Spikelets 2.6–3.5 mm. long, oblong-lanceolate. Inferior glume short, truncate, nerveless, hyaline. Superior glume 1/3–2/3(4/5) of the spikelet, ovate, (1)3-nerved, hyaline, glabrous or appressed hairy, hairs hyaline-white, slightly undulating, apex obpyriform or broadened and obtuse. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate, with recurved margins, 7-nerved, nerves equidistant, hyaline, glabrous or appressed hairy. Superior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, dark brown. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | In degraded Brachystegia woodland, dambos and vlei verges. |
| Altitude range: | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Mozambique distribution: | N,MS |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Clayton, W.D. (1989). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(3) Page 147. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 35. As Digitaria capitipila 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. |
| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Digitaria | > | compressa |