Southern Crab Grass Digitaria ciliaris
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- dij-ih-TARE-ree-uh sil-ee-AIR-iss
- Description
-
Southern Crabgrass is a clump forming warm season annual grass native to the tropics. It is found in pastures, disturbed sites, or in lawns. It reseeds easily and forms thick mats that are challenging to remove making it a weedy plant. To manage the weed try to hand weed it when it is small before it has sent down secondary roots. Mulching garden beds can slow germination. It is killed off by frost.
This plant and some of the cultivars, especially Red River, are utilized as summer forage for livestock.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Red River'
Used as forage for livestock
- 'Red River'
- 'Red River'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Red River'
Used as forage for livestock
- 'Red River'
- 'Red River'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Digitaria
- Species:
- ciliaris
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Some of the cultivars are used as forage crops for livestock
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Tropical and subtropical old world
- Distribution:
- PA south to FL and west to CA in the US
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-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Weed
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Prostrate
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
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-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
- Fruit Description:
- Seed heads have 2-9 spikelets appear on 1-8 inch long seed heads that produce the small light brown seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Raceme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- Racemes 8" long straight with a light green rachis (central stem). They form on long stems above the leaves.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Sheath
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Light green finely ribbed sheaths alternate 6" long and 1/2" wide. Entire margins, hairs at the base on the sheath, linear to linear-ovate in shape.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Description:
- Green stems are round to flat
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Problems:
- Weedy
