Digitaria didactyla Willd.

synonyms: Digitaria swazilandensis


blue couch, turf-forming crabgrass


Info

Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Digitaria = "having fingers" [Latin] refering to the inflorescence structure
Species etymology: didactyla = "two fingers" [Latin] refering to the inflorescence usually having two branches
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: naturalized - intentional
First recorded in Hawaiʻi: 2022

Map

 Distribution of Digitaria didactyla in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence
Digitaria didactyla Inflorescence

Plant

Digitaria didactyla Plant
Digitaria didactyla Plant
Digitaria didactyla Plant
Digitaria didactyla Plant
Digitaria didactyla Plant

Habit

Digitaria didactyla Habit
Digitaria didactyla Habit
Digitaria didactyla Habit

Spikelets

Digitaria didactyla Spikelets
Digitaria didactyla Spikelets
Digitaria didactyla Spikelets

Collar

Digitaria didactyla Collar

Description

Plants perennial; stoloniferous and rhizomatous, mat-forming. Culms 15–40(63) cm, rooting and branching from the lower nodes. Sheaths densely to sparsely hairy, with 3–5 mm papillose-based hairs; ligules 1–1.5 mm; blades 2.5–7 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, flat or folded, usually glabrous, green to bluish-green. Panicles with 2–4 spikelike primary branches digitately arranged; primary branches 2–7 cm, axes wingmargined, wings at least 1/2 as wide as the midribs, spikelets somewhat imbricate, in unequally pedicellate pairs; secondary branches rarely present; pedicels not adnate to the branches; shorter pedicels 1–1.5 mm; longer pedicels 2–3 mm; axillary panicles not present. Spikelets homomorphic, 2–2.8 mm long, about 0.8 mm wide. Lower glumes to 0.3 mm, triangular; upper glumes from 1/2–3/4 as long as the spikelets, 3- veined, pilose on the margins and sometimes between the veins; upper lemmas equaling the spikelets, prominently 7-veined, veins equally spaced, margins and sometimes the intercostal regions pilose, hairs 0.3–0.5 mm; upper lemmas slightly shorter than the lower lemmas, almost smooth, gray, sometimes purple-tinged, at maturity. 2n = unknown.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M., Long, S. & Piep, M.B. (eds.) 2003. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 2. Oxford University Press, New York. 783 pp http://floranorthamerica.org/Digitaria_didactyla )