About Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler
Digitaria ciliaris is an annual grass that can reach up to 1 meter in height, though it is typically much shorter. Roots grow from its stem nodes, and stems produce runners that let the plant grow quickly, forming irregular, textured patches around 1 meter across and half a meter tall. Its leaves range from linear to linear-ovate in shape, tapering at the tip, and grow up to 15 centimeters long. The inflorescence sits at the top of a long stem that is usually much taller than the leaves, and holds two to nine sub-digitate racemes that are 5 to 10 centimeters long.
This is a hardy plant thought to have originated in Asia, but it is now found across the entire global tropical belt, as well as in many temperate regions of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an invasive species classified as an aggressive weed in several countries, including China, Mexico, and the United States. It has been recorded growing in habitats including coastal dunes, tidal marshes, and saw palmetto flats. Alongside Portulaca oleracea, Ipomoea pes-caprae, and Wollastonia biflora, Digitaria ciliaris is typically one of the first species to colonize degraded or altered environments in tropical parts of the world.
