Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Strickland, Sam C.

Digitaria cognata

Digitaria cognata (Schult.) Pilg.

Carolina Crabgrass, Fall Witchgrass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Digitaria cognata var. cognata, Leptoloma cognatum

USDA Symbol: DICO6

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

Plant: "Knotty" at base, open panicles of spikelets on slender, spreading branches and pedicles. Culms: 30-80 cm. tall, much-branched at base. Inflorescence: Breaks off to form a "tumbleweed".

From the Image Gallery

9 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 32 inches tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green , Brown
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Bloom Notes: Fruit pale or in some populations turning brown or blackish.

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CT , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI
Canada: ON
Native Distribution: Texas: Nearly throughout, most abundant on the Coastal Plain and in north-central Texas, frequent elsewhere. U.S.A.: New Hampshire to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas, west to Arizona.
Native Habitat: Loose sandy prairies.

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry

Benefit

Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: The Grass Family is an essential larval host for most branded skippers and most of the satyrs.
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Seed Treatment: No special pre-treatment.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0979 Collected Nov 4, 1994 in Bexar County by Mike Fox

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-43 Collected 2006-11-03 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Additional resources

USDA: Find Digitaria cognata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Digitaria cognata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Digitaria cognata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-10-03
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back