Finger-grasses and similar species

Hairy Crab-grass Indian Wire-grass Eastern Gamma-grass Field Finger-grass

What are they?

'Finger-grasses' is a loose term for those species that have flower heads made up of a series of narrow, slender spikes, like the fingers on a hand. The term has variously been used for members of both Paspalum and Digitaria

Where are they found?

Most members of this group occur as low, weedy plants of waste and cultivated places, with some being well-known as invasives of gardens.

Identification

The usually multi-fingered flower spikes distinguish this group from other grasses. Identifying individual species of Paspalum and Digitaria can be a real challenge and care should be taken to select material that isn't damaged or atypical in any way.



Smooth Crab-grass      Digitaria ischaemum

Introduced from Europe. A widespread and abundant species found in all kinds of disturbed, grassy habitats. Flowers July to October.
Smooth Crab-grass Smooth Crab-grass Smooth Crab-grass Smooth Crab-grass
Flower spike
Flower spikelet underside
Flower spikelet topside
Leaf ligule

Hairy Crab-grass      Digitaria sanguinalis

A now cosmopolitan weed of uncertain natural origin, this species is a well-known weed of lawns and all manner of grassy and waste places. Flowers July to October.
Hairy Crab-grass Hairy Crab-grass Hairy Crab-grass Hairy Crab-grass
Habit
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Leaf ligule

Fringed Crab-grass      Digitaria ciliaris

(Southern Crab-grass) A species of the American Tropics that occurs naturally as far north as Virginia, but which appears to be spreading northward and is now abundant in the Cape May area. Flowers August to October. Differs from other crab-grasses in its woolly florets, most noticeable when the plant is setting seed.
Fringed Crab-grass Fringed Crab-grass Fringed Crab-grass Fringed Crab-grass
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Leaf ligule
Seed head

Field Finger-grass      Paspalum laeve

A widespread and common grass of all kinds of grassy places. Flowers July to October. A tall species with flowerheads on stems which may be up to three feet in length but often shorter due to mowing.
Field Finger-grass Field Finger-grass Field Finger-grass Field Finger-grass
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Single floret
Leaf ligule

Slender Finger-grass      Paspalum setaceum

A widespread and common grass found in all kinds of grassy places. Flowers July to October. A short species which seems tolerant of mowing and does well on roadsides.
Slender Finger-grass Slender Finger-grass Slender Finger-grass
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Florets close-up

Florida Finger-grass      Paspalum floridanum

A widespread grass found in all kinds of grassy places, being most common in the southern part of Cape May County. Flowers August to October. A tall species which can almost be mistaken for the even larger Eastern Gamma-grass at a distance. Florets large, 3.8-4.3cm long.
Florida Finger-grass Florida Finger-grass Florida Finger-grass Florida Finger-grass
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Florets close-up
Leaf ligule

Indian Wire-grass      Eleusine indica

A widespread and often abundant species of dry, waste and barren ground. Flowers July to September. A distinctive species with spikey flowers that spread outwards from the central shaft, and distinctly flattened and striated stems.
Indian Wire-grass Indian Wire-grass Indian Wire-grass Indian Wire-grass
Flower spike
Flower spike
from below
Flower spike
from above
Leaf ligule

Broad-leaved Beard-grass      Gymnopogon ambiguus

(Bearded Skeleton-grass) A common plant of open, short, grassy areas, from open woods and shady field edges to roadsides, parks and gardens. Flowers July to October. A short grass which is easily overlooked, but is most obvious when the seeds develop and the old flower heads open into a pale, wiry tangle.
Broad-leaved Beard-grass Broad-leaved Beard-grass Broad-leaved Beard-grass Broad-leaved Beard-grass
Habit
Flower spike
Florets close-up
Leaf ligule

Bermuda-grass      Cynodon dactylon

A very common grass which is usually found in sandy and often arid soils in disturbed and waste areas, especially near the coast. Flowers June to October. Smallest of the 'finger grasses', it has two growth styles; may be found either as a short grass with creeping stems (in arid growing conditions) or as a taller, patch-forming grass in lawns and other grassy areas.
Bermuda-grass Bermuda-grass Bermuda-grass Bermuda-grass
creeping stems
Flower spike
Spikelet close-up
Leaf ligules
Bermuda-grass Bermuda-grass Bermuda-grass
Patch-forming habit
Taller growth style
Leaf ligule

Eastern Gama-grass      Tripsacum dactyloides

A tall and imposing plant of woodland edge and watersides; also often found as a dominant plant in damp hollows where water sits well into spring. Flowers July to September. An imposing plant which forms large clumps of vegetation and has flower spikes that may reach well over head height. The flower spikes are distinctive, having the female flowers in the lower part of the spike and the male flowers in the upper part. After flowering, the male flowers drop off, leaving stubby fingers which fatten as the seeds develop.
Eastern Gama-grass Eastern Gama-grass Eastern Gama-grass Eastern Gama-grass
Habit
Flower spike
Male flowers
Female flowers
Eastern Gama-grass
Seed heads

Maize      Zea mays

(Corn, Sweet Corn) Introduced, probably from Central America. Well known as a crop plant, this species occasionally occurs on disturbed and abandoned ground as a short-lived adventive plant. Flowers July to September. Male flowers are carried in a fingered spike at the top of the plant, female flowers appear as fluffy clusters at the top of the developing seed clusters and carried low down on the plant, in axillary spikes.
Maize Maize Maize
Habit
Male flowers
Female flowers