Digitaria stricta Roth var. stricta

crowned crabgrass


Info

Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Digitaria = "having fingers" [Latin] refering to the inflorescence structure
Species etymology: stricta = "erect" [Latin] refering to the inflorescence branches
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: naturalized - accidental
First recorded in Hawaiʻi: 2003

Map

 Distribution of Digitaria stricta var. stricta in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Digitaria stricta var. stricta Inflorescence
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Inflorescence
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Inflorescence

Plant

Digitaria stricta var. stricta Plant
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Plant

Spikelets

Digitaria stricta var. stricta Spikelets
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Spikelets
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Spikelets
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Spikelets
Digitaria stricta var. stricta Spikelets

Description

Annual. Culms tufted, slender, erect, 20–40 cm tall. Leaf sheaths loose, keeled, glabrous or papillose-pilose, especially at mouth; leaf blades linear, soft, 5–20 × 0.3–0.5 cm, adaxial surface tuberculate-hispid in lower 1/3, apex finely acuminate; ligule 1–1.5 mm. Inflorescence subdigitate, axis 1–3 cm; racemes 2–8 or more, 5–12 cm; spikelets ternate; rachis triquetrous, narrowly winged, margins scabrous; pedicels scabrous, tips slightly dilated with overtopping spicules up to 1 mm. Spikelets elliptic, 1.2–1.4 mm, hairs clavate, rarely glabrous; lower glume absent; upper glume variable, 1/4–1/2 as long as spikelet, rarely vestigial or absent, veinless or 1–3-veined; lower lemma slightly shorter than spikelet, 3–5-veined, intervein spaces and margins sparsely pubescent to villous; upper lemma chestnut brown to purplish black with a paler, apiculate, slightly protruding apex. Anthers ca. 0.3 mm. Fl. and fr. autumn.
(Description source: Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D.Y. (eds.). 2006. Flora of China. Volume 22. Poaceae. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. 733 pp. )