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Digitaria didactyla

Authority Willd. Family Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 920

Notes
DESCRIPTION: A small, creeping, stoloniferous grass with narrow leaf blades about 2.5- 3 cm long and 5 mm wide and a bluish colour. Sward can grow to 20 cm high with very dense leaf if not grazed. USE: Primarily used as a lawn grass and withstands heavy defoliation. Used for pasture it is very palatable. As a pasture grass, it has invaded native pastures under heavy grazing pressure, generally on lighter sandy soils. Withstands heavy grazing by horses. As a lawn or golf course grass, it is generally laid as turf. Some use as ground cover in higher rainfall areas. Also used for erosion control. KILLING T: Becomes frosted but recover. GROWING PERIOD Summer-growing perennial. COMMON NAMES: Seragoon grass, Queensland blue couch grass, Blue couch. FURTHER INF: Synonym: Panicum tennuissimum. It is native of the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar. It can be found at elevations between sea level and 1500 m. Found in areas with 900ˆ1800 mm annual rainfall, survives seasonal dry conditions and drought by losing all leaf. Can tolerate short-term flooding. Fairly wide soil tolerance but preference for lighter soils. It survives droughts well and will also survive temporary flooding. Dry matter yields of 11.2 t/ha have been recorded.
Sources
Grassland Index Skerman P 1990 pp 357-359 [USE, TEMP, RAIN, DRA, TEXT, FER, LIG] Bogdan A 1977 pp 122 [USE] Tropical forages 2005