Digitaria
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Digitaria
COMMON NAME(S): Crabgrass
SYNONYM(S):
FAMILY: POACEAE (GRAMINAE) - Grass family
ORIGIN: Worldwide, tropical and warm temperate, 250-300 spp.
HABITAT: Lawns, fields, pastures, disturbed areas
RANGE:
TYPE:
HEIGHT: Variable, usually under 2'
CHARACTERISTICS: Stems slender
LEAVES: Flat or folded, linear or lance-shaped
FLOWERS: Tiny, borne in spikelets clustered on long, finger-like branches that radiate from the top of the flower stem or along the stem
FLOWERING SEASON: Summer, fall
FRUITS: Dry, 1-seeded
ALLERGENIC PRINCIPLES: Pollen proteins
ALLERGENIC PROPERTIES: Respiratory
COMMENTS: This large group of mostly weedy grasses can at times release enough pollen to cause late-season hay fever. About a dozen species occur in the region.
