Digitaria sanguinalis
Blood Red crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis )
The Crimson crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis ), also called blood - finger grass, a species within the Gramineae family is ( Poaceae ). It is distributed almost worldwide today. There are two subspecies of the crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis subsp. Pectiniformis ) and the Common Blood Red crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis subsp. Sanguinalis ) distinguished.
- 7.1 Notes and references
Etymology
The genus name comes from the Latin by Digitaria digitus = finger. Thus reference is made to the finger-shaped inflorescence characteristic. Even the epithet sanguinalis is of Latin origin of sanguis, - inis = blood and refers to the common blood-red color of the aboveground plant parts.
Description
Appearance and leaf
The Crimson Finger millet is a deciduous, annual herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth between 10 and 30, sometimes up to 80 centimeters. The above-ground parts of plants are crowded purple. It has with rooting, prostrate, branched and knickig ascending stems to a loose habit. Your Halmknoten are bearded hairy or bald.
The change-constant leaves are divided into leaf sheath and blade. The ligule ( ligules ) are trimmed and up to 2 millimeters long. The leaf sheaths are densely ciliate or sparsely and upper sheaths are hairy projecting long. The flat leaf blades are up to 8 mm narrow - lanceolate with rounded Spreitengrund long and tapered at the top end at a length of 3 to 10 inches and a width. The leaf blade is on the edge rough, ciliate or glabrous. When crabgrass ( Digitaria sanguinalis subsp. Pectiniformis ) have the leaf margins whitish nerves.
Inflorescence and flower
The 5 to 15 centimeters long spikes are like fingers spread to four to eight tufted on Halmende ( Synfloreszenz ). The spikelets are lanceolate pointed at a length of 2 from 8 to 3.3 millimeters long. The lemmas of the fertile florets are dark brown. When crabgrass the upper glumes are ciliated bristly. In the lemmas of the lower florets and rigid, bristly warts standing on longer hair, in addition to short, soft yet. The lemmas of the lower individual flowers of ordinary blood red finger millet are more or less soft-hairy. The upper glume is only a half times as long as the lemma. The flowering period extends from August to October.
Ecology
In the blood red finger millet is a sommerannuellen therophytes. The Crimson Finger millet is a heat to germinate and a C4 plant.
The diasporas subject of ants spread through the genus Tetramorium, next to spread the area enclosed by the husk fruits than Regenschwemmling, and there is even people propagation as a cultural companion.
Occurrence
The wide natural distribution area of the Crimson Finger millet is located in Southern Europe and North Africa and extends eastward to the temperate and tropical Asia. The Crimson crabgrass has now spread worldwide. It is a neophyte in North and South America, South Africa and Australia. She is a archaeophyte in Central Europe.
The Crimson crabgrass thrives in hallways herb gardens, growing in fields and in vineyards, on web sites sometimes in pavement joints. It prefers dry, nutrient-rich, often low in calcium and mostly sandy soils.
Use
In North America, Digitaria sanguinalis as forage ( grass or crab grass brab ) is cultivated.
Pictures
Ligule
Ears of corn