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| Synonyms: |
Digitaria bangweolensis Pilg. Digitaria debilis var. gigantea Rendle Digitaria debilis var. reimarioides (Anderss.) Henr. Digitaria dicipiens Fig. & De Not. Digitaria variabilis Fig. & De Not. Panicum debile Desf. Panicum debile var. reimarioides (Andersson) Durand & Schinz Panicum reimarioides Andersson |
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| Description: |
A loosely caespitose or solitary growing perennial, sometimes stoloniferous. Culms 10–40 cm., erect or creeping at the base, glabrous, nodes dark and glabrous. Leaf sheaths hairy. Ligule up to 2 mm. long, blunt or truncate. Leaf laminae 3–7 × 0.2–0.4 mm., linear, flat, hairy on both surfaces, margins scabrous, crisped. Inflorescence composed of 3–14 racemes, 5–15 cm. long, few together or solitary along a short common axis. Rhachis triquetrous, unwinged, up to 0.3 mm. broad, smooth with scabrous margins. Pedicels 2-nate, 0.3–2.5 mm. long, triangular to compressed, scabrous, somewhat broadened at the apex. Spikelets 2.7–3.5 mm. long, lanceolate, acuminate. Inferior glume at the base of the callus, remote from the superior glume, short, truncate, nerveless, hyaline. Superior glume as long as the spikelet, much longer than the superior lemma, lanceolate, acuminate, 7-nerved, pale green, appressed hair), hairs fine, slightly undulating with an irregularly recurved or circinate apex. Inferior lemma somewhat shorter than the spikelet, lanceolate, acuminate, 7-nerved, pale green, appressed hairy. Superior lemma much shorter than the spikelet, lanceolate, acuminate, yellow green to bluish green. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | debilis: weak, frail, feeble. |
| Habitat: | River banks, dambos, roadsides and damp places in general. |
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| Worldwide distribution: | Africa, Madagascar, western Mediterranean |
| Malawi distribution: | |
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| 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 158 - 159. (Includes a picture). Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 451. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 35. 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 134. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 28. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 146. |
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