Boll. Soc. Bot. Fr. 75: 914 (1928).- Type: Dupetit-Thouars sn, Madagascar (iso- P).
Paspalum thouaresianum Fluegge, Gram. Monogr. 1:148 (1810);
Digitaria scaettae Robyns, Inst. Colon. Belge Mém. 1: 31, fig 5/a-j (1931).- Type Scaettae 46, 67, DRC (syn- BR).
Regional litterature: Fl. Agrost. Congo Belge 2: 34 (1934); FTEA: 631 (1982).
Description:
* Tufted annual of 0.2-1 m high. Culms geniculately ascending. Leaves 3-20 cm long and 2-8 mm wide; ligule an eciliate membrane.
* Inflorescence of 2-14 subdigitate racemes. Racemes unilateral, 2-12 cm long, the spikelets in clusters of 3-4 on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with rounded or shallowly angular midrib; pedicels scaberulous or with a few short hairs at the tip, rarely with a definite corona of hairs.
* Spikelets elliptic, 1-1.7 mm long, with hairs. Lower glume absent; upper glume ½-4/5 as long as spikelet, 3-nerved, shortly pubescent with clavate hairs, rarely glabrous. Lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved, the 3 central nerves close together, mealy pubescent on the outer side of the nerves or all over, rarely glabrous, the hairs clavate and short, up to 0.1 mm, the lemma tip visible; upper lemma elliptic, as long as spikelet, cartilaginous, dorsally flattened, dark brown to black.
Distribution West Africa: Cameroon.
Distribution world-wide: Uganda, DRC and C, E and southern Africa.