Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Digitaria ischaemum
smooth crabgrass
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Lawns, roadsides and wastland, usually where moist.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Introduced from Eurasia

Growth Duration: Annual

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Description:
General:

Spreading annual, tending to root at the nodes, the culms hollow, glabrous, 1-3 dm. tall.

Leaves:

Sheaths open; ligules truncate, 1-2 mm. long; blades flat, 2-4 mm. broad, glabrous or slightly scabrous, the margins turned upward at the base and fused with the ligule.

Flowers:

Inflorescence of 3-6 digitate racemes 3-7 cm. long; articulate below the glumes; spikelets 2-flowered, the lower sterile, paired on one side of a triangular rachis; first glume translucent and semicircular, barely 0.3 mm. long; second glume and sterile lemma about 2 mm. long; fertile lemma and palea about equal, hardened, smooth; stamens 3.

Accepted Name:
Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Muhl.
Publication: Descr. Gram. 131. 1817. 1817.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Muhl. var. mississippiensis (Gatt.) Fernald
Panicum ischaemum Schreb.
Syntherisma ischaemum (Schreb.) Nash
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Digitaria ischaemum in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Digitaria ischaemum checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Digitaria ischaemum information.

E-Flora BC: Digitaria ischaemum atlas page.

CalPhotos: Digitaria ischaemum photos.

USDA Plants: Digitaria ischaemum information.

7 photographs:
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