Kew Bull. 1907: 213 (1907).- Type: Schimper 82, Ethiopie, Mt Scholoda (holo- P; iso- BR,K,L,WAG).
Panicum abyssinicum A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 360 (1851);
Panicum scalarum Schweinf., Bull. Herb. Boiss. 2, App. 2:20 (1894).- Type: Quartin Dillon & Petit, Ethiopia (syn- P); Schimper 95, Ethiopia (isosyn- K);
Digitaria scalarum (Schweinf.) Chiov., Result. Sei. Miss. Stef. Paoli, Coll. Bot. 1: 225 (1916);
Panicum hackelii Pilg., in Engl., Bot. Jb. 30:118 (1901).- Type: Soyaux 425, Gabon (iso- K);
Digitaria hackelii (Vûg) Stapf, FTA 9: 459 (1919);
Digitaria ciliaris Vanderyst, Bull. Agric. Congo Belge 16 : 659 (1925).- Type: Vanderyst B.106, B.106 bis, DRC (syn- BR).
Regional litterature: FTA 9: 460 (1919); FL. Agrost. Congo Beige 2: 42 (1934); Fl. Gabon 5:48 (1962) ; FWTA: 452 (1972); FTEA: 641, flg. 147(1982); Gram. Cameroun: 323 (1992); Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 7: 252, fig. (1995); Pl. Sudan & S Sudan: 125 (2015).
Description:
* Slender perennial with wiry rhizomes, sometimes forming extensive mats, 20-80 cm high, glabrous to villous. Culms erect or ascending from a decumbent to stoloniferous base. Leaves broadly linear, flat, 4-15 cm long and 2-12 mm wide, glabrous to thinly hispid ; ligule 1.5-3 mm long, glabrous or hispid at the margins ; sheaths glabrous to villous.
* Inflorescence usually pyramida l, composed of 3-23 racemes inserted singly or subdigitate on a short axis of 1-8 mm long. Racemes 3-8 cm long, weak, the spikelets borne in pairs on a triquetrous, sometimes narrowly winged rhachis, at the base sometimes secondary racemelets ; pedicels 0-3 mm long.
* Spikelets elliptic, 1.8-2.2 mm long, plump, glabrous, slightly shiny. Lower glume a small nerveless scale with hyaline margins, of 0.1-0.3 mm long ; upper glume ¾-as long as spikelet, 3-7-nerved. Lower lemma equalling the spikelet, 7-nerved ; upper lemma chartaceous, pale grey, pale brown or occasionally darker brown. Anthers and tigmates purple.
Distribution West Africa: Nigeria, Cameroon, Sudan, South Sudan.
Distribution world-wide: C, NE, E and southern Africa, W Asia.
Note: D. abyssinica is very variable in size, shape and venation of the glumes, characters which are not correlated with one another.