''Digitaria'' is a genus 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 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. 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. Fonio has been widely used as a staple crop in parts of Africa. It also has decent nutrient qualities as a forage 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'' (Benth.) Hughes – silky umbrella grass *'' Digitaria bicornis'' (Lam.) Roemer & J.A.Schultes ex Loud. – Asian crabgrass *'' Digitaria brownii'' (Roem. & 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 *''

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

'' 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 ''Digitaria platycarpha'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae (grasses), native to the Bonin Islands and the Volcano Islands, both belonging to Japan. References platycarpha ''Platycarpha'' is a genus of South African pla ...

'' (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 ''Digitaria stenotaphrodes'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Pacific islands (the Gilbert Islands, the Howland and Baker Islands, the Phoenix Islands, Tokelau and Manihiki, Tuvalu, the Line Islands, the Society ...

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