Common name: Summer Grass
Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler APNI* Synonyms: Digitaria adscendens Kunth APNI*
Description: Variable annual usually < 1 m high.
Leaves with sheath often with sparse, long, tubercle-based hairs; ligule 1–2 mm long; blade 4–10 mm wide, glabrous or sparingly hairy.
Racemes mostly 4–9, 3–20 cm long, on a common axis to 5 cm long, the spikelets rather densely arranged, paired, 1 pedicel very short, the other c. as long as the spikelets. Spikelets 3–3.5 mm long, variously hairy or rarely glabrous. Lower glume 0.3–0.7 mm long, nerveless; upper 50–75% the length of and much narrower than the spikelet, 3-nerved, usually with lines of fine hairs between the nerves and along the margins. Sterile lemma equalling the spikelet, 5–7-nerved, the nerves quite smooth, the median 3 nerves more widely spaced than the lateral. Fertile floret almost as long as the spikelet, pale greyish, or slightly purplish.
Flowering: mostly summer–autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread weed of cultivation. Native of trop. regions.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *NWS, *CWS, *NWP, *SWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *W.A. *S.A. *N.T.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & C. A. Wall
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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