''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 n ...

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 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 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 ...

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 ...

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 ''Digitaria sanguinalis'' is a species of grass known by several common names, including hairy crabgrass, hairy finger-grass, large crabgrass, crab finger grass, purple crabgrass. It is one of the better-known species of the genus ''Digitaria'', ...

'', 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 c ...

, 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 cer ...

. 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 us ...

for cattle.

Lawns

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

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 als ...

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. 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'' (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 grass known by the common names fall witchgrass,''Digitaria cogna ...

'' (Schult.) Pilg. – fall witchgrass, Carolina crabgrass, mountain hairgrass *'' Digitaria compacta'' (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'' (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'' Steud. – pangolagrass, Smuts finger grass, woolly finger grass *''

'' (Kippist) Stapf – white fonio *''

Digitaria filiformis ''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 ...

'' (L.) Koeler – slender crabgrass *'' Digitaria gracillima'' (Scribn.) Fernald – longleaf crabgrass *''

Digitaria horizontalis ''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 ...

'' Willd. – Jamaican crabgrass *'' Digitaria iburua'' 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'' (Retz.) Pers. – Indian crabgrass *''

Digitaria milanjiana ''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 ar ...

'' (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'' 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'' (C.Presl) Miq. – trailing crabgrass *''

'' (L.) Scop. – hairy crabgrass, large crabgrass *'' Digitaria seriata'' Stapf – Sandveld fingergrass *'' Digitaria setigera'' Roth ex Roemer & J.A.Schultes – East Indian crabgrass *''

Digitaria serotina ''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 ar ...

'' (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'' 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 ar ...

'' (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 Poaceae genera Cereals