Digitaria eriantha Steud.

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Synonyms: Digitaria livida Henrard
Digitaria nemoralis Henrard
Common names: Common finger grass (English) Smutsvingergras (Afrikaans) Wolliges Fingergras (German) Wolvingergras (Afrikaans)
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Description:
A tightly caespitose perennial, often provided with well developed runners; base surrounded by hairy cataphylls and old leaf sheath remnants. Culms 40–120 cm., ascending to erect, glabrous, nodes dark and glabrous. Leaf sheaths scaberulous, glabrous or loosely hairy. Ligule 2–4 mm. long, subtriangular, shortly ciliate. Leaf laminae 5–20 × 0.2–0.4(0.7) mm., linear, flat to involute, minutely scaberulous on both surfaces, often with a few bulbous based bristles near the base, scabrous along the margins. Inflorescence composed of 3–10 racemes, 5–20 cm. long, erect, (2)3–6 together in a inferior whorl, sometimes a few solitary along a short common axis, and mostly 2–4 together in a second, superior whorl. Rhachis triquetrous, narrowly winged, up to 0.5 mm. broad, smooth to scaberulous, with scabrous margins. Pedicels 2-nate, 0.5–2.5 mm. long, subterete to subtriangular. scabrous, broadened at the apex. Spikelets 2.2–3.5 mm. long, oblong. Inferior glume up to 0.5 mm. long, ovate to triangular, sometimes acuminate and ciliate. Superior glume 1/2–2/3 of the spikelet, oblong triangular, 3-nerved, appressed hairy, hairs fine, smooth, acute. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong, 7-nerved, nerves smooth or slightly scaberulous, appressed hairy, with or without bristle-hairs. Superior lemma somewhat shorter than the spikelet, oblong, acute, yellowish green to pale brown.
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Habitat: Miombo woodland, degraded savanna, flood plains and saline marshes.
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
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 172 - 173. (Includes a picture).

Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 12. (Includes a picture).

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.

Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 82 - 83. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 134.

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.

Other sources of information about Digitaria eriantha:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Digitaria eriantha
Flora of Mozambique: Digitaria eriantha
Flora of Zambia: Digitaria eriantha
Flora of Zimbabwe: Digitaria eriantha

External websites:

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


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Caprivi: Species information: Digitaria eriantha.
https://www.capriviflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=107590, retrieved 29 March 2024

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