Digitaria

Robbrecht, E., Smedt, S. De, Goetghebeur, P., Stoffelen, P. & Verloove, F., 2021, Four flowering plant species described from Katanga (Democratic Republic of the Congo) are based on specimens collected in Guangxi, China, Blumea 66 (1), pp. 82-92 : 89

Digitaria

Robyns & Van der Veken (1952), in complement to Robyns’ (1931) earlier revision of the genus Digitaria in DR Congo, described Digitaria polybotryoides Robyns & Van der Veken based on the Chinese Homblé specimen number 110. They believed it to be related to D. nigritiana (Hack.) Stapf , an African species of section Cirripilae . In GrassBase – The Online World Grass Flora (http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db/; accessed 8 June 2020) D. polybotryoides is included as an accepted species restricted to Katanga.

The type specimen was sent on loan to GENT, but could at present not be located there. The description of D. polybotryoides was therefore compared with several keys for Asian species of Digitaria ( Bor 1956, Veldkamp 1973, Chen & Philips 2006). This showed an obvious match with a rather common species, Digitaria abludens (Roem. & Schult.) Veldkamp , in the older literature recorded under the synonym Digitaria granularis (Trin.) Henrard. The diagnostic features are: annual species, racemes 2 – 8, rachis triquetrous, spikelets binate and ternate, 1.3–1.75 mm long, hairs smooth and with dilated apex, lower glume absent, fertile floret protruding, acuminate.

In China, D. abludens is only recorded from Hainan , S Henan, Sichuan and Yunnan ( Chen & Phillips 2006) but the latter prov- ince is bordering Guangxi. Homblé 110 seems to represent a single and new record for Guangxi .