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GRASSES OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Heather Stewart, Richard Hebda Major Groups of Grasses Table of Contents Glossary Digitaria Crabgrass This genus of mostly tropical species is well known as a weedy species. The name originates from the Latin word digitus, for finger, in reference to the fingerlike segments of the flowerhead. Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. Hairy Crabgrass Plant: Digitaria sanguinalis is an introduced species that grows to 30 cm tall. It is a freely branching, spreading perennial with an open flowerhead with fingerlike branches. These branches give the flowerhead a handlike look. Leaves and Stem: The lower parts of stems tend to creep along the ground before becoming erect, and may form patches up to a metre across. Sheaths are open and covered in long sparse hairs. Leaf blades are flat, 4-7 mm wide and hairy toward the base. Ligules are 1.5-2 mm long and chopped off at the tip. Leaf margins are turned upward near the base and join the ligule as slight ridges. The collars of the leaf blade/sheaths have long hairs. There are no auricles. Flowerhead and Flowers: The flowerheads are 5-12 cm long, open and usually have numerous narrow fingerlike branches that usually occur in whorls. The spikelets have two flowers but the lower flower is usually sterile. The spikelets are arranged along one side of the branch of the flowerhead. There is only one obvious shieldlike glume, with the second glume missing or tiny. The glume is more or less as long as the spikelet. The greenish-brown lemma of the fertile flower is smooth and hard. Habitat: Crabgrass was introduced from Europe but remains an infrequent species in B.C. It occurs along roadsides, disturbed sites and in lawns. In the Columbia Basin, there is a single record of this species at Castlegar. Similar Species: The fingerlike branches and obvious weedy habitat preference of Crabgrass make this species unmistakable.

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