Digitaria longiflora (Retz.) Pers., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Paspalum brevifolium Flüggé; Paspalum longiflorum Retz.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: chang hua ma tang

English: Indian crab grass, lesser crabgrass, wire crabgrass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annual with slender, widely spreading stoloniferous culms and slender, erect, floriferous culm tips mostly 8-40 cm long.  Scale leaves at base of plant usually densely pubescent.  Sheaths rounded, variously hispid or hirsute to glabrous.  Ligules truncate, erose, mostly 0.3-1 mm long.  Blades variable, mostly 1-4 cm long and 1-3 mm wide but the lower ones to 8 cm long and 5 mm wide, typically with long, stiff, often papilla-based hairs scattered on both surfaces but occasionally glabrous.  Inflorescence of 2, occasionally 3, slender branches 2-7 cm long on a long, filiform peduncle.  Spikelets mostly 1.3-1.7 mm long, in pairs along the midrib of a broadly winged rhachis.  Both spikelets of the pair similar and pedicelled but the pedicels unequal in length.  First Glume typically absent but occasionally at least vestigial.  Second glume about as long as spikelet, pubescent on margins with 5 more or less equidistant nerves.  Lemma of lower floret as long as spikelet, pubescent on margins at least near apex, with 7 more or less equidistant nerves.   Lemma and palea of upper floret light-coloured, usually grayish" (Dassanayake, 1994; p. 167).

Description from GrassBase.
Description from the Flora of China online.

Habitat/ecology:  "[M]ost common in light textured soils...along roadsides and in waste areas.  In southeast Asia, found from sea level to 1200 m.  It survives in open scrub, deciduous forests and bamboo forests and on rice bunds in Asia" "[M]ost common in light textured soils...along roadsides and in waste areas.  In southeast Asia, found from sea level to 1200 m.  It survives in open scrub, deciduous forests and bamboo forests and on rice bunds in Asia" (Holm et al., 1997; pp. 301-302).  In Sri Lanka, "a common grass of open, moist field borders, roadsides, and pasturelands at low to medium elevations" (Dassanayake, 1994; p. 167).  In Sri Lanka, "a common grass of open, moist field borders, roadsides, and pasturelands at low to medium elevations" (Dassanayake, 1994; p. 167).

Propagation:  Seed, spread by wind, water and animals (Holm et al., 1997; p. 302).

Native range:  "Native throughout the Old World tropics and introduced into the New World tropics and subtropics" (Dassanayake, 1994; p. 167).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Dublon (Tonowas) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 38)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 38)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 38)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 127)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 56) Voucher cited: T. Hosokawa 5875 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 121)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 121)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Westerrn Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Field margins, grasslands, weedy places; 600-1100 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 332) On farmlands.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 34) Common
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Field margins, grasslands, weedy places; 600-1100 m.
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive	Topp, J. M. W. (1988) (p. 17)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive	Rivers, Julie (2004) (p. 2)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Control:  If you know of control methods for Digitaria longiflora, please let us know.