Digitaria is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and warm temperate regions but can occur in tropical, subtropical, and cooler temperate regions as well. Common names include crabgrass, finger-grass, and fonio. They are slender monocotyledonous annual and perennial lawn, pasture, and forage plants; some are often considered lawn pests. Digitus is the Latin word for "finger", and they are distinguished by the long, finger-like inflorescences they produce.
The prevalent species of Digitaria in North America are large crabgrass (D. sanguinalis), sometimes known as hairy crabgrass; and smooth crabgrass (D. ischaemum). These species often become problem weeds in lawns and gardens, growing especially well in thin lawns that are watered lightly, under-fertilized, and poorly drained. They are annual plants, and one plant is capable of producing 150,000 seeds per season. The seeds germinate in the late spring and early summer and outcompete the domesticated lawn grasses, expanding outward in a circle up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter. In the autumn when the plants die, they leave large voids in the lawn. The voids then become prime areas for the crabgrass seeds to germinate the following season.
Biological control is preferable over herbicide use on lawns, as crabgrass emergence is not the cause of poor lawn health but a symptom, and it will return annually if the lawn is not restored with fertilization and proper watering.[7] Crabgrass is quickly outcompeted by healthy lawn grass because, as an annual plant, crabgrass dies off in autumn and needs open conditions for its germination the following spring.
Digitaria violascens Link – violet crabgrass[9][10]
Referencesedit
^. Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
^Klaassen, E.S.; Craven, P. (2003). (PDF). South African Botanical Diversity Network. ISBN99916-63-16-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
^. Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
External linksedit
Data related to Digitaria at Wikispecies
Media related to Digitaria at Wikimedia Commons
November 26, 2023
digitaria, genus, bivalves, astartidae, genus, plants, grass, family, native, tropical, warm, temperate, regions, occur, tropical, subtropical, cooler, temperate, regions, well, common, names, include, crabgrass, finger, grass, fonio, they, slender, monocotyle. For the genus of bivalves see Astartidae Digitaria is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and warm temperate regions but can occur in tropical subtropical and cooler temperate regions as well Common names include crabgrass finger grass and fonio They are slender monocotyledonous annual and perennial lawn pasture and forage plants some are often considered lawn pests Digitus is the Latin word for finger and they are distinguished by the long finger like inflorescences they produce DigitariaDigitaria sanguinalisScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade MonocotsClade CommelinidsOrder PoalesFamily PoaceaeSubfamily PanicoideaeSupertribe PanicodaeTribe PaniceaeSubtribe AnthephorinaeGenus DigitariaHaller 1768 1 conserved name not Heist ex Fabr 1759 nor Scop 1772 nor Adans 1763 2 Synonyms 3 4 Digitaria Heist ex Fabr 1759 rejected name not Haller 1768 Valota Adans 1763 rejected name not Dumort 1829 Sanguinella Gleichen Syntherisma Walter Acicarpa Raddi Trichachne Nees Gramerium Desv Elytroblepharum Steud Schltdl Eriachne Phil 1870 illegitimate homonym not R Br 1810 Sanguinaria Bubani Leptoloma Chase Digitariopsis C E Hubb Digitariella De Winter Panicum sect Digitaria Haller Trin Panicum ser Digitaria Haller Benth Panicum ser Digitarieae Haller Benth Panicum subg Digitaria Haller A Gray Panicum subg Digitaria Haller Hack Paspalum sect Digitaria Haller Nees Paspalum subg Digitaria Haller A Camus Large crabgrass seedhead racemeContents 1 Uses 2 Lawns 3 Selected species 4 References 5 External linksUses editThe seeds are edible most notably those of fonio Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua Digitaria sanguinalis as well as Digitaria compacta They can be toasted ground into a flour made into porridge or fermented to make beer Fonio has been widely used as a staple crop in parts of Africa It also has decent nutrient qualities as a forage for cattle 5 6 Lawns editThe examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate January 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message The prevalent species of Digitaria in North America are large crabgrass D sanguinalis sometimes known as hairy crabgrass and smooth crabgrass D ischaemum These species often become problem weeds in lawns and gardens growing especially well in thin lawns that are watered lightly under fertilized and poorly drained They are annual plants and one plant is capable of producing 150 000 seeds per season The seeds germinate in the late spring and early summer and outcompete the domesticated lawn grasses expanding outward in a circle up to 30 cm 12 in in diameter In the autumn when the plants die they leave large voids in the lawn The voids then become prime areas for the crabgrass seeds to germinate the following season Biological control is preferable over herbicide use on lawns as crabgrass emergence is not the cause of poor lawn health but a symptom and it will return annually if the lawn is not restored with fertilization and proper watering 7 Crabgrass is quickly outcompeted by healthy lawn grass because as an annual plant crabgrass dies off in autumn and needs open conditions for its germination the following spring Selected species editMain article List of Digitaria species Digitaria ammophila Benth Hughes silky umbrella grass Digitaria bicornis Lam Roemer amp J A Schultes ex Loud Asian crabgrass Digitaria brownii Roem amp Schult Hughes cotton panic grass Digitaria californica Benth Henrard Arizona cottontop Digitaria ciliaris Retz Koeler summer grass southern crabgrass Digitaria cognata Schult Pilg fall witchgrass Carolina crabgrass mountain hairgrass Digitaria compacta Roth ex Roem amp Schult Veldkamp Digitaria cruciata Nees A Camus Digitaria ctenantha F Muell Hughes comb finger grass Digitaria didactyla Willd Queensland blue couch Digitaria divaricatissima var macractinia Benth Heather L Stewart amp N G Walsh Digitaria eriantha Steud pangolagrass Smuts finger grass woolly finger grass Digitaria exilis Kippist Stapf white fonio Digitaria filiformis L Koeler slender crabgrass Digitaria gracillima Scribn Fernald longleaf crabgrass Digitaria horizontalis Willd Jamaican crabgrass Digitaria iburua Stapf Black fonio Digitaria insularis L Fedde sourgrass Digitaria ischaemum Schreb Schreb ex Muhl smooth crabgrass small crabgrass smooth finger grass Digitaria longiflora Retz Pers Indian crabgrass Digitaria milanjiana Rendle Stapf Madagascar crabgrass Digitaria nuda Schumacher naked crabgrass Digitaria pauciflora Hitchc twospike crabgrass Digitaria platycarpha Trin Stapf Digitaria petelotii Henrard Digitaria radicosa C Presl Miq trailing crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis L Scop hairy crabgrass large crabgrass Digitaria seriata Stapf Sandveld fingergrass 8 Digitaria setigera Roth ex Roemer amp J A Schultes East Indian crabgrass Digitaria serotina Walt Michx dwarf crabgrass Digitaria stenotaphrodes Nees ex Steud Stapf Digitaria texana A S Hitchc Texas crabgrass Digitaria velutina Forssk P Beauv velvet crabgrass Digitaria villosa Walt Pers shaggy crabgrass Digitaria violascens Link violet crabgrass 9 10 References edit Genus Digitaria Haller Germplasm Resources Information Network United States Department of Agriculture 2007 10 05 Archived from the original on 2010 05 28 Retrieved 2010 11 06 search for Digitaria Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Tropicos Digitaria Haller Gilani S S et al 2003 Taxonomic relationship of Digitaria in Pakistan Pakistan Journal of Botany 35 3 279 282 Gilani S S et al 2003 New subspecies of Digitaria sanguinalis from Pakistan Pakistan Journal of Botany 35 3 261 278 Weed Killer Guide 2009 Klaassen E S Craven P 2003 Checklist of grasses in Namibia Part 3 PDF South African Botanical Diversity Network ISBN 99916 63 16 9 Archived from the original PDF on 21 November 2008 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Digitaria Integrated Taxonomic Information System Retrieved 2010 11 06 GRIN Species Records of Digitaria Germplasm Resources Information Network United States Department of Agriculture Archived from the original on 2009 05 08 Retrieved 2010 11 06 External links edit nbsp Data related to Digitaria at Wikispecies nbsp Media related to Digitaria at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Digitaria amp oldid 1116921502, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
