familyPoaceae
subfamilyPoaceae subfam. Chloridoideae
tribePoaceae tribe Cynodonteae
genusEleusine
speciesEleusine coracana
subspeciesEleusine coracana subsp. coracana

Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana

Khidir W. Hilu
Common names: Finger millet Ragi
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 110.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Karen Klitz, Linda A. Vorobik

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms to 17 cm. Blades 30-60 cm long, 6-12 mm wide. Branches 4-14 cm long, 7-15 mm wide, spikelets closely imbricate. Spikelets 5-9 mm long, brown, with 6-9 florets, florets not disarticulating at maturity. Seeds almost globose, brownish, surfaces granular to smooth.

Discussion

Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana is the domesticated variant of E. coracana. Biochemical data suggest that it evolved from a few populations of the very variable subsp. africana. It is cultivated at various agricultural experiment stations and occasionally escapes.

Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana has a long historical record dating back at least 5000 years in Africa, and 3000 years in India. Five races, based on inflorescence morphology, are recognized in East Africa where it is widely cultivated for food and drink.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana"
RDF feed
2n chromosome quantity
36 +
Abaxial ligule presence
absent +
Abaxial ligule quantity
common +
Adaxial cell presence
absent +
Adaxial cell shape
bulliform +
Adaxial cell structure in adjective form
stomatal +
Adaxial ligule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Adaxial ligule length or size
longer +
Adaxial ligule presence
absent +
Adaxial ligule texture
membranous +
Adaxial surface pubescence
pubescent +  and scabrous +
Anther quantity
3 +
Anther some measurement
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
Apex architecture or shape
awned +  and entire +
Apex shape
mucronate +
Apical cell height or length or size
short +
Apical cell width
Wide (?) +
Arm cell anatomy
kranz +
Arm cell presence
absent +
Auricle presence
absent +
Author
Khidir W. Hilu +
Authority
(L.) Gaertn. +
Awn atypical quantity
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Awn orientation
arising +
Awn quantity
multiple +, , +  and single +
Axis shape
flattened +
Back shape
keeled +  and rounded +
Base architecture
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
Base arrangement
close +
Base fusion
not fused +
Base position
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
Base size
swelling +
Base texture
membranous +
Base width
thick +
Blade architecture
not pseudopetiolate +
Blade architecture or arrangement
radiate +
Blade length
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
Blade length or size
sometimes longer +
Blade position
adaxial +
Blade pubescence
pubescent +  and glabrous +
Blade shape
usually linear +  and lanceolate occasionally ovate +
Blade width
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Branch architecture
digitate +  and non-disarticulating +
Branch arrangement
cluster +
Branch atypical quantity
2 (?) +
Branch fixation
attached +
Branch length
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +  and 14 cm140 mm <br />0.14 m <br /> (?) +
Branch orientation
spreading +
Branch quantity
1;4;20 +
Branch shape
spikelike +
Branch some measurement
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
Branch width
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Caryopsis development
modified +
Cell shape
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
Cilium architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Cilium length or size
sometimes longer +
Cilium texture
membranous +
Column quantity
single +
Common name
Finger millet +  and Ragi +
Culm architecture
branching +
Culm architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Culm duration
annual +
Culm growth form
climbing +
Culm growth form or location
floating +
Culm growth form or texture
herbaceous +
Culm orientation
ascending +  and erect +
Culm pubescence
glabrous +
Culm some measurement
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
Culm texture
not woody +
Distal floret size
reduced +
Distribution
S.C. +  and Calif. +
Embryo architecture or shape
cleft +
Embryo presence
absent +
Embryo shape
not waisted +
Embryo size
large +
Endosperm texture
hard +
Filament shape
capillary +
Floret architecture
not disarticulating +
Floret arrangement
adjacent +
Floret height or length or size
shorter +
Floret length or size
sometimes longer +
Floret quantity
6 +  and 9 +
Floret reproduction
bisexual +
Floret shape
round +  and compressed +
Floret size
reduced +
Fusoid cell presence
absent +
Genus quantity
1 +
Glume architecture or shape
awned +
Glume height or length or size
shorter +
Glume length or size
shorter or longer +
Glume position
subtending +
Glume quantity
2 +
Glume size
unequal +
Group quantity
3 +
Hair quantity
lacking +
Hair relief
coarse +
Hair shape
uncinate +
Hair some measurement
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Hilum arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Hilum coloration or relief
punctate +
Hilum height or length or size
short +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Utah State University +
Illustrator
Linda A. Vorobik +  and Karen Klitz +
Inflorescence architecture
pistillate +
Inflorescence arrangement
paniculate +  and racemose +
Inflorescence fusion
distinct +
Inflorescence position
axillary +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Internode architecture
hollow +  and solid +
Internode shape
elongate +
Keel architecture
winged +
Layer presence
not absent +
Leaf arrangement
distichous +
Leaf margin arrangement
Overlapping (?) +
Lemma architecture
3-veined +
Lemma architecture or shape
awned +
Lemma pubescence
glabrous +
Lemma shape
keeled +
Lemma some measurement
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Ligule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Ligule length or size
sometimes longer +
Ligule presence
absent +
Ligule some measurement
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Ligule texture
membranous +
Lodicule presence
absent +
Lodicule prominence
inconspicuous +
Lodicule quantity
2 +
Lower glume architecture
3-veined +  and 2-veined +
Lower glume some measurement
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Lower internode thickness
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Marginal hair arrangement
adjacent +
Marginal hair fragility
stiff +
Marginal hair relief
coarse +
Microhair presence
absent +
Midrib architecture
simple +
Node prominence
concealed +  and prominent +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Other quantity
2 +  and 1 +
Ovary pubescence
glabrous +
Palea shape
keeled +
Panicle architecture
subdigitate +
Panicle branch height or length or size
short +
Pericarp architecture or fragility
loose +
Pericarp arrangement
separating +
Pericarp condition or texture
dry +
Pericarp fusion
free +
Pericarp texture
dry +  and fleshy +
Pericarp width
thin +
Raceme shape
spikelike +
Rachis prominence
evident +
Reference
None +
Seed coloration
brownish +
Seed prominence
exposed +
Seed pubescence or relief or texture
granular +
Seed shape
globose +
Sheath architecture
open +
Sheath condition
closed +
Sheath pubescence
glabrous +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V25/V25 178.xml +
Special status
Introduced +
Spikelet architecture
disarticulating +
Spikelet architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Spikelet arrangement
imbricate +
Spikelet coloration
brown +
Spikelet fixation
attached +
Spikelet length
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
Spikelet position or shape
distal +
Spikelet presence
absent +
Spikelet quantity
1 +  and 60 +
Spikelet reproduction
sterile +
Spikelet shape
compressed +
Spikelet some measurement
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
Spikelet width
3mm +  and 6mm +
Stamen quantity
1 +  and 3 +
Starch-grain architecture
compound +  and simple +
Starch-grain presence
absent +
Style-branch atypical quantity
4 +  and 1 +
Style-branch quantity
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Style arrangement
separate +
Style quantity
2 +
Surface pubescence
granular +  and smooth +
Surface relief
ornamented +
Synonyms
Gramineae +
Taxon architecture
staminate +
Taxon family
Poaceae +
Taxon name
Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana +
Taxon parent
Eleusine coracana +
Taxon rank
subspecies +
Taxon reproduction
dioecious +
Tissue coloration
hyaline +
Tissue texture
membranous +
Upper glume architecture
3-5(7)-veined +
Upper glume some measurement
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br />) +
Vein presence
absent +
Vein quantity
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
Vein size
major +
Volume
Volume 25 +
Whole organism arrangement or pubescence
tufted +
Whole organism duration
annual +
Whole organism growth form
plant +
Whole organism growth form or habitat
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
Whole organism reproduction
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +
Whole organism variability
varied +
X chromosome atypical quantity
12 +
X chromosome quantity
10 +, 9 +  and 8 +