Common name: Open Summer-grass
Digitaria diffusa Vickery APNI*
Description: Slender decumbent perennial to 0.7 m high, branching and rooting at the nodes.
Leaves with sheath sparsely pilose; ligule 1–2.5 mm long; blade to 5 mm wide, sparsely pubescent or glabrous.
Racemes 3–10, 3–7 cm long, spikelets paired or sometimes 1-nate near the base and apex or 3-nate, the longer pedicel often subequal to the spikelet, the shorter pedicel c. half as long. Spikelets 1.5–2 mm long. Lower glume 10–25% as long as the spikelet, nerveless; upper subequalling the spikelet, 3-nerved, with lines of hairs between the nerves. Hairs of the upper glume and sterile lemma at first appressed, spreading at anthesis. Sterile lemma equalling the spikelet, 5–7-nerved, with hairs between the outer or all the nerves. Fertile floret 1–2 mm long, minutely punctulate-striolate, dark brown to black at maturity.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in open woodland.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP
Other Australian states: Qld
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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