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Dactyloctenium aegyptium

Authority	(L.) Beauv.
Family	Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae
Synonyms
Common names	button grass, calandrini, crowfoot grass, Egyptian grass
Editor
Ecocrop code	866

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A glaucous grass with culms up to 50 cm tall, not stoloniferous, but often rooting from the lower nodes. Leaves often hairy on the margins and midrib. USES Used as hay and pasture. GROWING PERIOD Quick-growing, short-term annual. It flowers in August in the Sahel and remains as standing hay into February. COMMON NAMES Crowfoot grass, Beach wire-grass, Kra lekrab, Giant button grass, Coast button grass, Tapak jalak, Suket dringoan, Rebha kartuut, Rumput miuyak, Krus-krusan, Damong-balang, Tugot-manok, Didok-chi, Myet-le-gra, Mye-sa myet, Ya-pakkhwai, Co'chan ga, Co chi, Ndanguel, Burgue boguel, Gude-gude, Kutukku, Kurtu, Koreib, Umm Asabi, Sadeho, Akaududu, Enguruma-Ondaritik. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: D. mucronatum, D. figarei, D. mpuetensis, D. ciliare, Cynosurus aegyptius, Eleusine aegyptia. Crowfoot grass usually occurs on disturbed areas, especially on sandy soils. It can be found at elevations between sea level and 2100 m. It can become a troublesome weed of cultivation. Dry matter yields of 3-6 t/ha can be obtained. At times the grass is rich in cyanogenetic glucocides and may be a danger to grazing stock.
Sources
Grassland Index Skerman P 1990 pp 322-324 [TEXT, RAIN, DRA, TEXT, PH, LIMIT] Duke J 1975 pp 14 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Duke J 1979 pp 94 Aronson J 1989 pp 68 Mannetje L 1992 pp 104-105 [USE, RAIN, TEXT, DRA, FER] Jansen P 1991 pp 179 IBPGR 1984 pp 154 Bogdan A 1977 pp 104-105 [LIG, DRA, SAL, LIMIT]