Digitaria sanguinalis
hairy crabgrass
SunFull Sun – Part Shade
Overview
Digitaria sanguinalis is a warm-season annual grass that germinates in late spring and grows through summer. The stems spread outward and bend upward at the tips, rooting at the lower nodes where they touch soil, and reach 6-24 inches (15-60 cm) long. The leaf blades are 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long and 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) wide, flat, and covered in spreading hairs, with a hairy sheath at the base. From midsummer to fall the plant produces seed heads of 3 to 9 finger-like spike branches, 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long, radiating from the stem tip. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds, which overwinter in the soil and germinate the following spring. Digitaria sanguinalis grows in lawns, gardens, cultivated fields, roadsides, and disturbed ground, favoring compacted or thin soil and bare patches. It dies with the first hard frost, leaving seed to continue the cycle. The species is treated as a weed in turf and crops, but it is grazed by livestock and was once grown as a cereal grain in parts of Europe.
Native Range
Digitaria sanguinalis is native to Europe and temperate Asia. It has naturalized across North America and much of the world as a weed of lawns, fields, and disturbed ground.Suggested Uses
Digitaria sanguinalis is grazed by livestock and has been grown as a forage and famine grain in parts of Europe and Africa. In gardens it is handled as a weed rather than a cultivated plant. Its fibrous roots give short-term cover on bare, disturbed soil.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 2'
Width/Spread1' - 3'
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
green to purplishFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Drought Tolerance
Drought tolerant when established