''Digitaria pauciflora'' is a species of

grass 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 law ...

known by the common names twospike crabgrass, Florida pineland crabgrass, Everglades grass, few-flowered fingergrass, and particular grass. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

in the United States, where it is found only in the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point o ...

.''Digitaria pauciflora''.
The Nature Conservancy. This perennial grass grows up to a meter tall,''Digitaria pauciflora''.
Grass Manual Treatment. growing in clumps up to a meter wide.''Digitaria pauciflora''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The densely hairy leaves are up to 12 centimeters long. The

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 ...

is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

with 2 or 3 branches up to 11 centimeters long. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''pauciflora'', referring the Latin term for 'few flowered'.D. Gledhill Today this plant only occurs in

Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east ...

in rocky pinelands habitat and

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

. This type of habitat can flood during the wet season. It is also prone to

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

. Associated plants include ''Pinus elliottii'' var. ''densa'', ''

Sabal palmetto ''Sabal palmetto'' (, '' SAY-bəl''), also known as cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, sabal palm, blue palmetto, Carolina palmetto, common palmetto, Garfield's tree, and swamp cabbage, is one of 15 species of palmetto palm. It is native to the Sou ...

'', ''

Schizachyrium rhizomatum ''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas. In the United Stat ...

'', ''

Vernonia blodgettii ''Vernonia blodgettii'', the Florida ironweed or Blodgett's ironweed, is a species of perennial plant from family Asteraceae that is native to Florida and the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an isla ...

'', and ''Elytraria caroliniensis'' var. ''angustifolia''. The total distribution is about 31 square miles. It is represented by a single population. While the population is largely protected within the Everglades, the surrounding landscape is undergoing rapid development. Within the park the species may be affected by changes in the local

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

and the

fire regime A fire regime is the pattern, frequency, and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevail in an area over long periods of time. It is an integral part of fire ecology, and renewal for certain types of ecosystems. A fire regime describes t ...

and the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

of non-native plants.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Digitaria pauciflora''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5276227 pauciflora Endemic flora of Florida Everglades Everglades National Park Grasses of the United States Warm-season grasses of North America Critically endangered flora of the United States