Plants annual or of indefinite duration. Culms 20-60 cm, glabrous,
decumbent, rooting and branching from the lower nodes, geniculate above. Sheaths
glabrous or with long hairs near the base; ligules 0.8-2.5 mm; blades
2-13.5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, glabrous on both surfaces or the adaxial surface
with a few long hairs near the base. Panicles with 3-8 spikelike primary
branches, these digitate or with rachises to 2 cm long; lower panicle nodes
with hairs at least 0.4 mm; primary branches 4-15.5(20) cm long,
0.4-0.8 mm wide, axes wing-margined, wings more than 1/2 as wide as the midribs,
proximal portions of the branches often with scattered 1-4 mm hairs, with spikelets
in unequally pedicellate pairs on the lower and middle portions of the branches;
secondary branches absent; pedicels not adnate to the branches.
Spikelets homomorphic, 1.7-2.8 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide. Lower glumes
absent or to 0.2 mm; upper glumes 1-2.2 mm, 0.4-0.8 times as long as
the spikelets; lower lemmas about as long as the spikelets, 7-veined,
veins smooth, lateral veins usually equally spaced, sometimes the inner lateral
veins more distant from the other 2, intercostal regions adjacent to the midveins
glabrous, those between the lateral veins with 0.5-1 mm hairs, hairs initially
appressed, sometimes strongly divergent at maturity; upper lemmas yellow
to gray when immature, becoming brown at maturity; anthers 0.3-0.6 mm.
2n = unknown.
Digitaria nuda is an African species thatis now established in tropical
regions throughout the world, including the Americas. So far as is known, it
has only been collected once in the Flora region.