Weeds
Digitaria sanguinalis (L). Scop. - Sanguine Digitaria.
Systematic position.
Family Poaceae (Graminea), genus Digitaria Hall.Biological group.
Annual plant.Morphology and biology.
Annual greenish or reddish plant with a branchy ascending stalk of 10-50 cm in height. Leaves of 4-10 cm in length and to 10 mm in width, having usually, as well as vaginas, long erect hairs; ligule short. Inflorescence having 4-7 (8-18) spiciform twigs, 3-10 (20) cm in length, narrowly lanceolate. Flowering in July - August, fruiting in August - September. Every inflorescence has 200 to 600 spikes. The weed forms to 5000 seeds.Distribution.
The Caucasus, Central Asia. In Russia Digitaria sanguinalis is distributed mainly in a southern half of the European part, moving to the north in ruderal places, and along roads.Ecology.
Grows along rivers on sand and shingle, less often in pine forests, also at roads, on fields, and in settlements, mainly on damp sandy soils. Occurs up to middle mountain belt.Economic significance.
Segetal-ruderal weed littering mainly intertilled cultures (cotton, corn, sunflower), gardens, kitchen gardens, tea plantations. The main control measures include inter-row tillage of itertilled crops; chemical treatments, if necessary.Related references:
Grossgeim A.A. 1939. Flora of the Caucasus. V.1. Baku: AzFAN, p. 127 (in Russian).Gubanov I.A., K.V.Kiseleva, V.S.Novikov, V.N.Tihomirov. 2002. Illustrated keys to plants of Central Russia. V. 1. Moscow, p. 229 (in Russian).
Nikitin V.V. Weed plants of the USSR flora. Leningrad: Nauka, 1983. P. 130 (in Russian).
Ul.yanova T.N. 1998. Weed plants in flora of Russia and CIS other countries. Saint Petersburg: VIR, p. 197-198 (in Russian).