Digitaria ciliaris

D. ciliaris is an annual grass, typically decumbent, rooting at the nodes and spreading to form untidy patches up to 1 m across and 50 cm high, although under crowded conditions it will grow more erect with culms up to 1 m high. The leaves are up to 25 cm long and 1 cm wide. Sheaths and lower parts of leaves loosely hairy on both surfaces. Ligule membraneous, 1-3 mm long. Inflorescence on a long culm, usually much taller than the foliage, consists of 2-9 racemes 5-10(-15) cm long sub-digitate (the latin generic name means 'fingers') with one or more inserted up to 1 cm below the others. The rachis of the racemes is up to 1 mm wide. The spikelets, arranged in pairs, one sessile and the other shortly pedicelled, are 2.5-3.5 mm long, tapering to an acute tip. The lower glume is a very short but distinct scale about 0.3 mm long;the upper glume at least half, usually about 3/4 the length of the spikelet, with three nerves. The upper lemma is as long as the spikelet and has 5-7 nerves, usually with a distinct space each side of the central one. The lateral nerves are smooth, without the scabrid character of D. sanguinalis but are variable in hairiness, sometimes with very long hairs. The upper lemma is smooth with only one nerve, grey to light brown. Grain 1.5-2 mm long.