Dactyloctenium aegyptium — Durban crowfoot grass
![Leaves: Dactyloctenium aegyptium. ~ By Kim Starr. ~ Copyright © 2024 CC BY 3.0. ~ starrimages[at]hear.org ~ Plants of Hawaii - www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/dactyloctenium-aegyptium-le-kstarr3.jpg)
![Spikelets: Dactyloctenium aegyptium. ~ By Kim Starr. ~ Copyright © 2024 CC BY 3.0. ~ starrimages[at]hear.org ~ Plants of Hawaii - www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/dactyloctenium-aegyptium-si-kstarr3.jpg)
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Facts
Durban crowfoot is an annual grass native to Africa and Asia, and widely introduced in Europe, and the Americas. In North America it is mainly found in the South, from California to Florida and up the East Coast to New England, where it is an occasional visitor in Massachusetts and Maine.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Leaf blade width
- 2–12 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 3–4.5 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
-
- the glume has an awn
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0–1 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, and some of the hairs have blisters at their bases
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.5–1.5 mm
- Anther length
- 0.5–0.8 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.5–0.8 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
-
- the glume has an awn
- the glume has no awn
- Glume awn length
- At least 0 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
- 1
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence length
- Up to 60 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched and the branches all grow from the same side of the plant and look like spikes
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
-
- NA
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn length
- 0–1 mm
- Lemma awn number
-
- the lemma has no awn
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 1
- 3
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 3–4.5 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 2–12 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.5–1.5 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, and some of the hairs have blisters at their bases
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
-
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. E
Durban crowfoot grass. Cynosurus aegyptius L. • MA, ME. Waste places, cultivated land, disturbed soil.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Chloris gayana:
- rachis of branches ending in a functional or rudimentary spikelet, not extending as a bristle-tip, and glumes unawned or the upper one with a short awn to 0.3 mm (vs. D. aegyptium, with rachis of branches extending beyond distal most flowers 1–5 mm, and upper glume with an awn 1–2.5 mm long).
- Dactyloctoneium radulans:
- inflorescence subglobose, congested, with branches 4–15 mm long; axis of each branch prolonged beyond the apical-most spikelet for 1–1.5 mm (vs. D. aegyptium, with the inflorescence not congested, with divergent branches 15–60 mm long; axis of each branch prolonged beyond the apical-most spikelet for 1–6 mm).
Synonyms
- Cynosurus aegyptius L.