''Digitaria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 an ...

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 Fonio is the term for two cultivated grasses in the genus '' Digitaria'' that are notable crops in parts of West Africa. They are millets with small grains. Fonio is a nutritious food with a favorable taste. It is consumed mainly in West Afric ...

. 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 ...

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 languages, 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 ...

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 forme ...

s they produce. Large-crabgrass-11258-seedhead2

Uses

The seeds are edible, most notably those of

(''

Digitaria exilis ''Digitaria exilis'', referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa, such as The Gambia, with English common names white fonio, fonio millet, and hungry rice or acha rice, is a grass species. It is the most important of a diverse group of wild ...

'' and '' Digitaria iburua''), '' Digitaria sanguinalis'', as well as '' Digitaria compacta''. 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 cul ...

, 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, ...

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

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 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 use ...

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 th ...

are large crabgrass (''D. sanguinalis''), sometimes known as hairy crabgrass; and smooth crabgrass (''D. ischaemum''). These species often become problem

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

s 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 Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also i ...

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 f ...

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 *'' Digitaria compacta'' (Roth ex Roem. & Schult.) Veldkamp *'' Digitaria cruciata'' (Nees) A. Camus *'' Digitaria ctenantha'' (F.Muell.) Hughes – comb finger grass *''

Digitaria didactyla ''Digitaria didactyla'' is a species of grass known by the common names blue couch, Queensland blue couch, blue serangoon grass, green serangoon grass, blue stargrass, and ''petit gazon'' (in Mauritius).Cook, B. G., et al''Digitaria didactyla''.T ...

'' 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 *''

'' (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 ''Digitaria longiflora'' is a species of crabgrass. It is the wild progenitor of the West African domesticated crop ''Digitaria exilis ''Digitaria exilis'', referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa, such as The Gambia, with English com ...

'' (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 *'' Digitaria setigera'' Roth ex Roemer & 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

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Digitaria Poaceae genera Cereals