''Digitaria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of plants in the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

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

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

ous annual and perennial lawn, pasture, and forage plants; some are often considered lawn pests. ''Digitus'' is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word for "finger", and they are distinguished by the long, finger-like

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s they produce. Large-crabgrass-11258-seedhead2

Uses

The seeds are edible, most notably those of fonio ('' Digitaria exilis'' and ''

Digitaria iburua ''Digitaria iburua'', commonly known as iburu, is a grass species native to west and west-central tropical Africa, which is cultivated as a grain crop known as black fonio. Iburu (''D. iburua'') is closely related to white fonio ('' D. exilis''), ...

''), '' Digitaria sanguinalis'', as well as ''

Digitaria compacta ''Digitaria compacta'' is a grass species native to India and Indochina. It is cultivated in the Khasi Hills of northeast India, used as a glutinous flour for making bread or porridge, and known as raishan. See also *''Digitaria exilis'', white f ...

''. They can be toasted, ground into a

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

, made into

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

or fermented to make

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

. Fonio has been widely used as a

staple crop A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...

in parts of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It also has decent nutrient qualities as a

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

for cattle.

Lawns

The prevalent species of ''Digitaria'' in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

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 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 Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...

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. 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

*''

Digitaria ammophila ''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 ...

'' (Benth.) Hughes – silky umbrella grass *''

Digitaria bicornis ''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 ...

'' (Lam.) Roemer & J.A.Schultes ex Loud. – Asian crabgrass *''

Digitaria brownii ''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 ...

'' (Roem. & Schult.) Hughes – cotton panic grass *''

Digitaria californica ''Digitaria californica'' is a species of grass known by the common name Arizona cottontop. It is native to the Americas, where it can be found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.Digitaria ciliaris ''Digitaria ciliaris'' is a species of grass known by the common names southern crabgrass,''Digitaria ...

'' (Retz.) Koeler – summer grass, southern crabgrass *''

Digitaria cognata ''Digitaria cognata'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common names fall witchgrass,''Digita ...

'' (Schult.) Pilg. – fall witchgrass, Carolina crabgrass, mountain hairgrass *''

'' (Roth ex Roem. & Schult.) Veldkamp *''

Digitaria cruciata ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' (Nees) A. Camus *''

Digitaria ctenantha ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' (F.Muell.) Hughes – comb finger grass *'' Digitaria didactyla'' Willd. – Queensland blue couch *''

Digitaria divaricatissima var. macractinia ''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 ...

'' (Benth.) Heather L.Stewart & N.G.Walsh *''

Digitaria eriantha ''Digitaria eriantha'', commonly known as digitgrass or Pangola-grass, is a grass grown in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows relatively well in various soils, but grows especially well in moist soils. It is tolerant to droughts, water l ...

'' 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 *''

'' Stapf – Black fonio *''

Digitaria insularis ''Digitaria insularis'' is a species of grass commonly known as sourgrass. It is native to Central and South America and the southern parts of the United States and has been introduced into other parts of the world. It was first described by the ...

'' (L.) Fedde – sourgrass *''

Digitaria ischaemum ''Digitaria ischaemum'' is a species of crabgrass known by the common names smooth crabgrass and small crabgrass. It is native to Europe and Asia, but it is known throughout much of the warm temperate world as an introduced species and often a co ...

'' (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl. – smooth crabgrass, small crabgrass, smooth finger grass *''

Digitaria longiflora ''Digitaria longiflora'' is a species of Digitaria, crabgrass. It is the wild progenitor of the West African domesticated crop ''Digitaria exilis''. References External links *African Plant Database
Digitaria, longiflora Grasses of Afric ...

'' (Retz.) Pers. – Indian crabgrass *'' Digitaria milanjiana'' (Rendle) Stapf – Madagascar crabgrass *'' Digitaria nuda'' Schumacher – naked crabgrass *''

Digitaria pauciflora ''Digitaria pauciflora'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common names twospike crabgrass, Florida pineland crabgrass, Everglades grass, few-flowered fingergrass, and particular grass. It is endemism, endemic to Florida in the United S ...

'' Hitchc. – twospike crabgrass *'' Digitaria platycarpha'' (Trin.) Stapf *'' Digitaria petelotii'' Henrard *''

Digitaria radicosa ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' (C.Presl) Miq. – trailing crabgrass *'' Digitaria sanguinalis'' (L.) Scop. – hairy crabgrass, large crabgrass *''

Digitaria seriata ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' Stapf – Sandveld fingergrass *''

Digitaria setigera ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' Roth ex Roemer & J.A.Schultes – East Indian crabgrass *'' Digitaria serotina'' (Walt.) Michx. – dwarf crabgrass *'' Digitaria stenotaphrodes'' (Nees ex Steud.) Stapf *''

Digitaria texana ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

'' A.S.Hitchc. – Texas crabgrass *''

Digitaria velutina ''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 ...

'' (Forssk.) P.Beauv – velvet crabgrass *''

Digitaria villosa ''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 ...

'' (Walt.) Pers. – shaggy crabgrass *''

Digitaria violascens ''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 ...

'' Link – violet crabgrass

References

External links

* * {{Authority control

Digitaria ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, 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. ...

Poaceae genera Cereals