Digitaria henryi Rendle, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Syntherisma henryi (Rendle) Newbold

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: heng li ma tang

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Prostrate, mat-forming grass.  Culms 5-15 cm or more in length, the lower nodes glabrous.  Leaf sheath glabrous, striate, keeled; ligule membranous, truncate, 1-2 mm long.  Leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, 1-3 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, surfaces with scattered, tubercle-based hairs, margins finely scabrous.  Inflorescence of 1-3 more or less horizontal racemes 1-4 cm long, not spreading at maturity, rachis 3-angled with scabrous margins.  Spikelets lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, in unequally stalked pairs.  Lower glume reduced to a scale, upper glume 3/4 as long as the spikelet, acute, 3-nerved, margins hairy.  Sterile lemma as long as the spikelet, 7-nerved, with hairy lateral veins crowded near the margins.  Distinguishable by its prostrate grass habit, small leaves, glabrous leaf sheath, leaf surfaces with long hairs, 1- or 3-branched racemes that do not spread at maturity, unequally aired spikelets, and lower glume reduced to a scale."  (Whistler & Steele, 1999; pp. 82-83).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "Common in the Old World tropics as a weed of sunny disturbed places" (Whistler & Steele, 1999).  On Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, "uncommon as a weed of lawns" (Whistler & Steele, 1999; pp. 82-83).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  China, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1945) (p. 23) Voucher cited: Yuncker 9550 (BISH)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1945) (p. 23) Voucher cited: W. Harris 71 (BISH)
Kiribati Phoenix Islands	Kanton Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Stoddart, D. R. (1994) (p. 37) Not seen in 1973 or 1975. Voucher cited: Degener & Degener 24647 (US)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 37)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (pp. 82-83) Vouchers cited: Herbst 8957, Herbst 8998, Whistler 11192, Whistler 11199, Whistler 11239, Whistler 11240 Uncommon.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Sandy seashores, grasslands near the sea. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Shanghai.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 332) On grassy hillslopes.
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Sandy seashores, grasslands near the sea.

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