Digitaria velutina (Forssk.) P. Beauv.

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Digitaria velutina

Picture: Petra Ballings
Shashe Wilderness Camp, Tuli

Digitaria velutina

Picture: Petra Ballings
Shashe Wilderness Camp, Tuli

Digitaria velutina

Picture: Petra Ballings
Shashe Wilderness Camp, Tuli

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Synonyms: Digitaria divaricata Henrard
Digitaria fenestrata (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Rendle
Digitaria ulugurensis Pilg.
Digitaria zeyheri (Nees) Henrard
Panicum fenestratum Hochst. ex A. Rich.
Panicum zeyheri Nees
Phalaris velutina Forssk.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
A creeping or decumbent annual. Culms creeping to ascending, 20–50 cm., glabrous, nodes dark and glabrous. Leaf sheaths loosely to densely covered with bulbous based bristles, smooth to scaberulous. Ligule up to 2.5 mm. long, truncate, entire. Leaf laminae 3–13 × 0.3–0.8 cm., linear, flat, loosely to densely hairy and sometimes scaberulous on both surfaces, often with a few bulbous based bristles near the base, scabrous along the margin. Inflorescence composed of (2)3–14 racemes, (3)5–10 cm. long, sometimes in a basal whorl of 3–5 racemes, the other racemes solitary along the well developed common axis. Rhachis triquetrous, winged, up to 0.5 mm. broad, smooth to scaberulous, with scabrous margins. Pedicels 2-nate, 0.5–3 mm. long, triangular, scabrous, slightly broadened at the apex. Spikelets 1.7–2.1 mm. (subsessile spikelets) and 2.0–2.3 mm. long (pedicelled spikelets), oblong-lanceolate. Inferior glume short, truncate, nerveless, often poorly developed. Superior glume 2/3–3/4 of the spikelet, sometimes nearly as long, 3-nerved, appressed hairy, hairs fine, smooth, acute, hyaline. Inferior lemma as long as the spikelet, oblong, 7-nerved, appressed hairy. Superior lemma as long as to somewhat shorter than the spikelet, acute, pale to dark brown, often purplish tinged.
Type location:
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: velutina: velvety
Habitat: Weed of disturbed land.
Altitude range:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: From Egypt to South Africa
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): C,S
Zambian distribution (Provinces): Lk,W
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) Page 171. (Includes a picture).

Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 454. (Includes a picture).

Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 13. (Includes a picture).

Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 36.

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 135.

Other sources of information about Digitaria velutina:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Digitaria velutina
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Digitaria velutina
Flora of Malawi: Digitaria velutina
Flora of Mozambique: Digitaria velutina
Flora of Zimbabwe: Digitaria velutina

External websites:

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


Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Species information: Digitaria velutina.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=107790, retrieved 19 March 2024

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