Derivation
Digitaria Haller, Hist. Stirp. Helv. 2: 244 (1768). From the Latin digitus (finger), alluding to the radiating inflorescence branches.

ternata- Latin for 'in threes', probably referring to the spikelets.

Published in
Fl. Cap. 7: 376 (1898).

Habit
Annual, tufted. Stolons absent. Culms erect or geniculately ascending or decumbent, 20–100 cm tall, 2–4-noded. Mid-culm internodes glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches sparsely branched. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, 5–25(–40) cm long, 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence digitate or subdigitate, with racemose branches. Racemes 2–11, unilateral, 3–23 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0.5–20 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged, with sharp-edged midrib. Spikelet packing imbricate.

Spikelets
Spikelets in threes or clustered at each node. Pedicels unequal, 0.3–0.7 mm long, scabrous, ciliate, hairy at tip, with 0.2–1 mm long hairs, tip discoid. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, lower floret sterile, upper fertile, without rhachilla extension, elliptic, dorsally compressed, 1.8–2.7 mm long, with hairs extending 0.2–0.8 mm beyond apex, falling entire. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes one (the lower absent or obscure) or two, thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic, dorsally convex in profile, 1.6–1.8 mm long, 66–80% of length of spikelet, membranous, 3-nerved. Upper glume surface pubescent, with clavate hairs. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Basal sterile floret 1, without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, 2–2.6 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, membranous, 5(–9)-nerved, with unevenly spaced nerves (3 central veins approximate), with nerves meeting and uniting at apex, pubescent or pilose, hairy between nerves (generally or in stripes), with clavate hairs, bearing hairs 0.2–0.8 mm long, acute. Fertile lemma elliptic, 1.8–2.7 mm long, cartilaginous, much thinner on margins, dark brown or black. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat, covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute, mucronate. Palea cartilaginous. Grain flattened.

Continental Distribution:
Africa, Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, Australasia, North America, South America.

Australian Distribution:
New South Wales, Tasmania.

New South Wales: Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. Tasmania: East Coast.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Panicoideae: Paniceae

Notes
Introduced. Found in disturbed habitats in tropical and subtropical wet sclerophyll forests, dry sclerophyll forests, temperate sub-humid woodlands, and semi-arid shrub woodlands. Flowers Jan.–Apr.