Comments
provided by eFloras
This grass is said to be rich in cyanogenetic glycoside and thefore is a danger to stock at certain times. It is found usually in sandy soils.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Comments
provided by eFloras
An exceedingly variable pantropical annual weed, typically with sprawling geniculately ascending culms and linear spikes radiating in a star-like manner from the culm-tip, but also including plants with compact oblong spikes, occasionally very similar to those of Dactyloctenium aristatum from which it is most easily distinguished by its rugose grain. Duthie has reported that it is a very nutritious fodder grass for cattle, being both fattening and milk-producing. Egyptian Finger-grass is sporadic in its appearance.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Comments
provided by eFloras
Willdenow misspelled the specific epithet as
"aegyptiacus," but this is simply an orthographical error, and does not affect the valid publication of the combination.
This is a widely distributed, annual weed.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Description
provided by eFloras
Inflorescence of 2-7, usually 4, stout digitate spikes. Spikelets usually 3-flowered, 3-4 mm long; glumes keeled, the keel hirsute, 1-nerved; lower glume with an awn of 1-2 mm long, semi-ovate in side view, pointed, about 2.5 mm long, upper glume as long as the lower glume, with a slightly curved strong awn of about 1 mm long; lemma keeled, pointed, oblong-ovate in side view, 3 mm long, 3-nerved, lateral nerves close to the margins; anthers 3, about 0.5 mm long. Utricles globose, rugose, about 1 mm long.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Description
provided by eFloras
Annual; culms up to 70(100) cm high, usually geniculately ascending and rooting at the lower nodes, frequently shortly stoloniferous and mat-forming, less often erect. Leaf-blades flat, 3-25 cm long, 2.5-7.5 mm wide, papillose-hispid especially along the margins. Inflorescence composed of (1)3-9 linear to narrowly oblong spikes 1.2-6.5 cm long. Spikelets 3-4-flowered, broadly ovate, 3.5-4.5 mm long; glumes subequal, 1.5-2.2 mm long, the lower lanceolate in profile with a thick scabrid keel, the upper elliptic to narrowly obovate in profile, the smooth keel extended into a stout divergent scabrid awn half to twice as long as the glume; lemmas narrowly ovate to ovate in profile, 2.6-4 mm long, the keel gibbous, concave and scabrid above the middle and often extended into a stout cusp or mucro up to 1 mm long; palea-keels winged or wingless; anthers 0.25-0.8 mm long. Grain about 1 mm long, broadly obovate to obtriangular in profile, transversely rugose.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Description
provided by eFloras
Annual. Culms slender to moderately robust, geniculately ascending to shortly stoloniferous and mat-forming, infrequently erect, 15–60 cm tall. Leaf sheaths with ciliate margin; leaf blades flat, 5–20 × 0.2–0.6 cm, tuberculate-pilose on both surfaces, apex acute or acuminate; ligule membranous, 1–2 mm, margin ciliate. Inflorescence digitate, racemes 2–9, linear to narrowly oblong, often radiating horizontally. Spikelets broadly ovate, 3–4.5 mm, florets 3–4; lower glume narrowly lanceolate, keel thick, hispidulous; upper glume elliptic to narrowly obovate, keel smooth, extended into a stout scabrid awn 1/2–2 times length of glume body; lemmas ovate, 2.6–4 mm, keel gibbous, hispidulous above middle, often extended into a stout cusp; palea equal to lemma, keels winged, wings ciliolate, tip 2-toothed. Grain ca. 1 mm, broadly obtriangular, transversely rugose. Fl. and fr. May–Oct. 2n = 20, 36, 40, 48.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Distribution
provided by eFloras
Distributed in the tropical regions of the Old World.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Distribution
provided by eFloras
Distribution: Pakistan (Sind, Punjab, N.W.F.P. & Kashmir); widely distributed in tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World; introduced in America.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Flower/Fruit
provided by eFloras
Fl. & Fr. Per. July-October.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Habitat & Distribution
provided by eFloras
Disturbed weedy places, especially on sandy soils. Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [tropical and warm-temperate regions of the Old World; introduced to America and Europe].
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Synonym
provided by eFloras
Cynosurus aegyptius Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 72. 1753; Chlo-ris mucronata Michaux; Eleusine aegyptia (Linnaeus) Desfontaines; E. pectinata Moench, nom. illeg. superfl.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Synonym
provided by eFloras
Cynosurus aegyptius L., Sp. Pl. 72. 1753.
- license
- cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Derivation of specific name
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
aegyptium: of Egypt
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=105360
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Description
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Spreading annual grass, rooting from the knee-bent lower nodes. Inflorescences digitate, often in thick radiating racemes with bristly spikelets.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=105360
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Worldwide distribution
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Tropical and warm-temperate regions of the Old World; introduced weed in America and Europe
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=105360
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Comprehensive Description
provided by North American Flora
Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) K. Richt. PI. Eur. 1: 68. 1S90
Cynosurus aegyplius L. Sp. PI. 72. 1753. (Localities cited, Africa. Asia, America.) Aegilops saccharinum Walt. Fl. Car. 249. 1788. (Type from South Carolina.) EUusine aegyptiaca Desf. Fl. Atlant. 1: 85. 1798. (Based on Cynosurus aegyplius L.) EUusine pectinala Moench. Meth. Suppl. 68. 1802. (Based on Cynosurus aegyplius L.) Chloris mucronala Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 59. 1803. (Type from Carolina, Michaux.) Eleusine aegyptia Pers. Syn. PI. 1: S7. 1805. (Based on Cynosurus aegyplius L.) Daclyloclenium aegypliacum Willd. Enum. 1029. 1809. (Based on Cynosurus aegyplius L.) Daciyloclenium mucronatum Willd. Enum. 1029. 1809. (Based on Chloris mucronala Michx.) Eleusine mucronala Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 1; 150. 1812. (Type from Jamaica, Broughlon.)
Not E. mucronala Michx. 1803. Rabdochloa mucronala Beauv. Agrost. 84, 158, 176. 1812. (Presumably based on Chloris mucronala
Michx.) EUusine cruciala Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1: 176. 1816. (Type presumably from South Carolina.) Daclyloclenium meridionale Hamilt. Prodr. 6. 1825. (Localities cited. West Indies and tropical
America.) Daclyloclenium mucronatum var. erectum Foum. Mex. PI. Gram. 2: 144. 1886. (Localities cited,
Mexico, Gouin 6S; Karwinsky 9S9, 989b.)
Culms branching, decumbent, spreading at the base and rooting at the lower nodes, the ascending ends 20-40 cm. long; sheaths overlapping, compressed, glabrous; ligule membranaceous, minutely erose, about 0.3 mm. long; blades flat, mostly 5-10 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, scabrous and papillose on the margins, othenvise glabrous or nearly so; spikes 2-5, mostly 2-5 cm. long; spikelets pectinate, about 3 mm. long; first glume 1.5 mm. long, acute, scabrous on the keel; second glume a little longer than the first with an awn 1-2.5 mm. long from a broad apex; lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm. long, acute or acuminate, scabrous on the keel, otherwise glabrous.
Type locai,ity: "Africa, Asia, America." Distribution: Warm regions of both hemispheres.
- bibliographic citation
- Albert Spear Hitchcock, Jason Richard Swallen, Agnes Chase. 1939. (POALES); POACEAE (pars). North American flora. vol 17(8). New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
provided by wikipedia EN
Dactyloctenium aegyptium, or Egyptian crowfoot grass is a member of the family Poaceae native in Africa. The plant mostly grows in heavy soils at damp sites.
Description
at Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden
This grass creeps and has a straight shoot which are usually about 30 centimeters tall.[1]
Food
Dactyloctenium aegyptium is still a traditional food plant used as a famine food in Africa, this little-known grain has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.
Invasive species
In other areas of the world, including parts of the United States, the grass is considered a weed and invasive species.
References
- license
- cc-by-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Wikipedia authors and editors
Dactyloctenium aegyptium: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Dactyloctenium aegyptium, or Egyptian crowfoot grass is a member of the family Poaceae native in Africa. The plant mostly grows in heavy soils at damp sites.
- license
- cc-by-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Wikipedia authors and editors