Dactyloctenium aegyptium
Dactyloctenium
crowfoot grass, crows foot grass, Durban crowfoot, Durban crowfoot grass, Durban crowsfoot grass, Egyptian grass
crowfoot grass
10-35(100) cm, usually geniculately ascending and rooting at the lower nodes.
5-115(160) cm, erect or decumbent, often rooting at the lower nodes, not branching above the base.
keeled, with papillose-based hairs distally;
ligules 0.5-1.5 mm, membranous, ciliate;
blades 5-22 cm long, 2-8(12) mm wide, with papillose-based hairs.
not overlapping, open, keeled;
auricles absent;
ligules membranous, membranous and ciliate, or of hairs;
blades flat or involute.
terminal, panicles of 2-11, digitately arranged spicate branches;
branches with axes 0.8-11 cm long, extending beyond the spikelets, terminating in a point, the spikelets imbricate in 2 rows on the lower sides.
3-4.5 mm long, about 3 mm wide.
with 3-7 bisexual florets, additional sterile florets distally;
disarticulation usually above the glumes, the florets falling as a unit.
1.5-2 mm;
lower glumes ovate, acute;
upper glumes oblong elliptic, obtuse, awned, awns 1-2.5 mm;
lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm, ovate, midveins extended into curved, 0.5-1 mm awns;
paleas about as long as the lemmas;
anthers 0.5-0.8 mm, pale yellow.
unequal, shorter than the adjacent lemmas, 1-veined, keeled;
lower glumes acute, mucronate;
upper glumes subapically awned, awns curved;
calluses glabrous;
lemmas membranous, glabrous, 3-veined (lateral veins sometimes indistinct), strongly keeled, apices entire, mucronate, or awned;
paleas glabrous;
anthers 3, yellow;
ovaries glabrous;
styles fused.
utricles;
seeds falling free of the hyaline pericarp, transversely rugose or granular, x = 10.
cuboid, about 1 mm long and wide, transversely rugose, light tan to reddish-brown.
branches (1)2-6(8), 1.5-6 cm, only the first few spikelets in contact with the spikelets of adjacent branches;
branch axes extending beyond the spikelets for 1-6 mm.
= 20, 36, 40, 45, 48.
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
Dactyloctenium
Dactyloctenium aegyptium is a widely distributed weed of disturbed sites in the Flora region. It is also considered a weed in southern Africa, but the seeds have been used for food and drink in times of famine. In addition, bruised young seeds have been used as a fish poison, and extracts are reputed to help kidney ailments and coughing (Koekemoer 1991). In Australia, it is planted as a sand stabilizer along the coast (Jacobs and Hastings 1993).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Dactyloctenium is primarily an African and Australian genus of 10-13 species. Three species have been introduced in the Flora region, two of which have become established. Dactyloctenium aegyptium is widespread throughout the warmer areas of the world.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Panicle branches 0.4-1.5 cm long; most spikelets touching those of an adjacent branch | D. radulans |
1. Panicle branches 1.5-7 cm long; only the first few proximal spikelets on each branch in contact with those on an adjacent branch. | → 2 |
2. Anthers 0.5-0.9 mm long; upper glume awns 1-2.5 mm long | D. aegyptium |
2. Anthers 1.1-1.7 mm long; upper glume awns 4.5-10 mm long | D. geminatum |
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