Digitaria sp.
Crab grass, Crab Grass
Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Variable; species dependent
Digitaria sp. (Crab grass) is a non-native California perennial in the Poaceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Eleusine: Digitaria has flexible mature seeds; goosegrass has flattened hard seeds and often grows in a perfect rosette.; vs Cynodon: Digitaria has 3-10 finger-like branches; bermudagrass has 3-7 branches and spreads by aggressive stolons.; vs Ehrharta: Digitaria has finger-like branches with flexible seeds; veldtgrass has a pyramidal panicle with hardened lemmas.; vs Stenotaphrum: Digitaria has thin finger-like branches; St. Augustine grass has thick, flattened stems and embedded spikelets.; vs Cenchrus: Digitaria has open finger-like branches; sandbur has spikelets enclosed in spiny burs.
Frequently asked questions
Is Digitaria sp. native to California?
No. Digitaria sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Digitaria sp. belong to?
Digitaria sp. is in the Poaceae family, genus Digitaria.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Digitaria californica var. californica — Arizona cottontop
- Digitaria ciliaris var. ciliaris — Southern crab grass
- Digitaria ischaemum — Smooth crab grass
- Digitaria sanguinalis — Hairy crab grass
- Distichlis littoralis — Shore grass
- Distichlis sp.
- Distichlis spicata — Salt grass
- Echinochloa colona — Jungle rice
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.