Digitaria

Blood Red crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis )

The finger millet ( Digitaria ) is a plant genus of the family Gramineae ( Poaceae ).

Features

The finger millet are annuals or perennials. The stems are erect or geniculate - ascending, their lower nodes often form roots. The leaf sheaths are open up towards the bottom of the stalk and are on tight. The ligule is a membranous hem. Leaf blades are flat, at their base, they sometimes have Columnar comprehensive ears. In the vernation the leaves are usually rolled.

The inflorescence is a panicle, which is composed of 2 to 10 grapes, which are arranged like fingers on the stem end. The grapes ( pseudo-spikes ) are narrow - linear and only 2 to 4 mm wide. The Rispenhauptachse is shorter than the individual sham ears. The spikelets are two flowered, the lower floret sterile and the upper is hermaphrodite. The spikelets are pressed together from the back, do not awn and are available individually or in pairs side by side on two edges of the mostly triangular grapes axis. The spikelets are different long stalks and fall to maturity as a whole from. The lower glume is reduced and facing away from the axis grapes, it can also be completely absent. The upper glume is three to seven annoying, membranous and pubescent between the nerves. The lemma is the sterile florets three to elfnervig and the same length as the spikelet, the hermaphrodite florets nearly as long as the spikelet, smooth, bald and broad hautrandig. The palea is the sterile florets small and scale-like or absent, two annoying when hermaphrodite florets and the same length as the lemma. There are three stamens that protrude from the flower on the side. The ovary is bald and wears two terminal pen with dense feathery scars.

The caryopses are nearly as long as the lemma. The navel is point-like and basal.

System

The genus of finger millet is provided within the family in the subfamily Panicoideae, Tribe Paniceae. It consists of about 220 species, of which only three are native in Europe. Some were also introduced.

The occurring in Central Europe species are:

• Blood Red crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis )
• Thread crabgrass ( Digitaria ischaemum )
• Smooth fur - crabgrass ( Digitaria ciliaris ), native to the tropics and sub- tropics and introduced into Southern Europe, unstable in Carinthia, Styria and Tyrol.

The name Digitaria derives from Latin digitus = finger and relates how the German name on the finger- shaped arranged grapes.

Use

Some species, such as fonio ( Digitaria exilis ) and Iburu ( Digitaria iburua ) is grown in Africa as a regional grain.