Digitaria Haller
Type species: D. sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
Annual or perennial, often stoloniferous tufts, of moderate height or low-growing. Leaf-sheath submembranous or stiffly striate, rounded, midrib obvious above. Ligule membranous. Leaf-blade flat to involute, flaccid. Culm erect, or decumbent and rooting at nodes. Inflorescence a panicle of digitate or subdigitate racemes on a short rachis. Racemes slender, secund; rachis 3-angled, or flattened and winged, usually serrate, persistent, bearing along the two abaxial sides, alternate, appressed groups of 2, 3, or rarely solitary spikelets, usually one spikelet of each group ± sessile, and 1-2 shortly pedicelled; spikelets disarticulating below glumes and falling entire at maturity. Spikelets dorsally compressed, lanceolate or elliptic, ± planoconvex, variously pubescent, rarely glabrous, awnless, 2-flowered; lower floret Ø, upper floret ⚥. Lower glume minute or 0, upper ≤ lemma of lower floret. Lower floret: lemma usually = spikelet; palea usually a minute scale, or 0. Upper floret: lemma chartaceous to cartilaginous, nerveless, or faintly 3-nerved, glabrous, hyaline margins enfolding palea; palea of similar texture to lemma, nerveless, or faintly 2-nerved; lodicules cuneate, 3-nerved; callus 0; stamens 3; ovary apex glabrous, styles 2, apical, shortly connate below; caryopsis planoconvex, embryo large, to ⅓ length of caryopsis, hilum punctiform.
Key
c. 220 spp., cosmopolitan, but mainly tropical and subtropical. Naturalised spp. 6.
The genus was revised for Malesia by Veldkamp, J. F. Blumea 21: 1-80 (1973), and Australian spp. were revised by Webster, R. D. Brunonia 6: 131-213 (1984).
