Digitaria gazensis Rendle

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Photo: Petra Ballings
Mt Chinaka, Juliasdale

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Synonyms:	Digitaria antunesii Mez Digitaria herpoclados Pilg. Digitaria nyassana Mez Digitaria proxima Henrard Digitaria usambarica Mez Digitaria villosissima Chiov.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	A densely caespitose perennial on a very short rhizome, sometimes stoloniferous, base surrounded by velvety hairy cataphylls and withered leaf sheaths. Culms 40–120 cm., erect or creeping, glabrous, nodes dark and typically hairy. Leaf sheaths loosely to densely hairy. Ligule up to 3 mm. long, triangular, rounded. Leaf laminae 5–15 × 0.3–0.5 cm., linear, flat, loosely to densely hairy on both surfaces, scabrous along the margin. Inflorescence composed of 5–17 racemes, 8–20 cm. long, erect to patent, few together or solitary along a well developed common axis. Rhachis triquetrous, scarcely winged, up to 0.3 mm. broad, smooth, with scabrous margins. Pedicels 2-nate, 0.5–3.5 mm. long, triangular, scabrous, broadened at the apex. Spikelets 1.9–2.6 mm. long, oblong. Inferior glume up to 0.5 mm. long, ovate, truncate, nerveless, hyaline. Superior glume as long as the spikelet, oblong, membranous near the apex, 5-nerved, purplish, appressed hairy, hairs very slender, slightly undulating, often with incurved apex, often purplish. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong, membranous near the apex, 7-nerved, purplish, appressed hairy. Superior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong, acute, bluish green to bluish purple
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	gazensis: of Gazaland, a historic name for Southern Mozambique.
Habitat:	In degraded woodland, miombo woodland, also in dambos, vlei verges and salt marshes.
Altitude range:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Madagascar, from DRC and Sudan southwards to Namibia and South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Mozambique distribution:	N,Z,T,MS
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. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 21. 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) Pages 162 - 163. (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. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 188. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 85.

Other sources of information about Digitaria gazensis:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Digitaria gazensis
Flora of Caprivi: Digitaria gazensis
Flora of Malawi: Digitaria gazensis
Flora of Zambia: Digitaria gazensis
Flora of Zimbabwe: Digitaria gazensis

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Digitaria gazensis
African Plant Database: Digitaria gazensis
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Digitaria gazensis
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Digitaria gazensis
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Digitaria gazensis
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Digitaria gazensis
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Digitaria gazensis
JSTOR Plant Science: Digitaria gazensis
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Digitaria gazensis
Plants of the World Online: Digitaria gazensis
Tropicos: Digitaria gazensis
Wikipedia: Digitaria gazensis