Digitaria ischaemum
(Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl. Smooth Summer-grassTufted glabrous annual. Culms erect, to 40 cm high. Leaf-blades flat, 2–9 cm long, 2–5 mm wide; sheaths often purplish; ligules obtuse, 1–2 mm long. Panicle of 2–6 winged, one-sided, spike-like racemes, 2–8 cm long, digitately arranged, or with the lower slightly separated. Spikelets acute, 1.7–2.3 mm long, solitary, paired or in small clusters; lower glume lacking or vestigial, to 0.2 mm long; upper glume 3-nerved, equal to or slightly shorter than the spikelet, sparsely to densely covered with fine, club-tipped hairs; lower lemma 5–7-nerved, as long as the spikelet, with hairs like the upper glume; palea of lower floret absent; lemma of upper (bisexual) floret acute, equal to or slightly shorter than spikelet, dorsally rounded, finely striate, brown at maturity. Flowers Feb.–Jul.
VVP, VRiv, GipP, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, VAlp. Also naturalised in SA, NSW, ACT. Native to warm-temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Naturalised in New Zealand, Britain and North America. In Victoria, an uncommon weed of lawns and disturbed areas near habitation (e.g. Hamilton, Melbourne area, Gelantipy, Cann River).
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
