Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
hairy crabgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Robert Flogaus-Faust     (Photo ID #64096)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Digitaria sanguinalis
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual, freely branching grass from fibrous roots, also rooting at the nodes, forming patches often over 1 m wide; stems hollow, often prostrate to ascending, 20-60 cm long/tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths and collars strongly stiff-hairy, the hairs minutely blistery at the bases, often 2-3 (5) mm long; blades 4-6 (10) mm wide, flat, at least stiff-hairy towards the base, usually rough on the lower surface, the free margins narrowed gradually and ultimately turning upward on the ligules as slight ridges; ligules 1.5-2 mm long, membranous, blunt, the margins irregularly jagged.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several, fingerlike, linear racemes in 1 or 2 whorls, 5-12 cm long, the spikelets mostly paired and in 2 rows on 1 side of flattened and 3-angled rachises; spikelets 2-flowered, but the lower flowers sterile, 1 spikelet short-stalked, the other nearly unstalked; glumes fringed with short hairs, the lower glumes about 0.5 mm long, the upper glumes about 2 mm long; sterile lemmas equalling the fertile lemmas, about 3 mm long, appressed-hairy, the lateral nerves prominent; lemmas pale greenish-brown.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Digitaria sanguinalis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1890 1890 1890
Slope Gradient (%)
31 31 31

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

331 331 331
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 2 2
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

ESSF(1)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry lawns, fields, roadsides and waste areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SW and SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Panicum sanguinale L.
Syntherisma sanguinalis (L.) Dulac