Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd.
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Description
Dactyloctenium aegyptium is an annual or short-lived perennial grass, usually 15–60 cm tall, with a spreading to tufted habit. Culms are slender, erect or ascending, and often branched from the base. The plant develops a fibrous root system. Leaves are linear, flat, and alternate, usually 5–25 cm long and 3–8 mm wide. Leaf blades are soft, green, and often hairy near the base. Leaf sheaths are compressed, and the ligule is membranous with hairs. The inflorescence is highly distinctive, consisting of 3–7 flattened spikes arranged like the toes of a bird’s foot, giving rise to the common name "crowfoot grass." Spikes are usually 2–8 cm long and radiate from a common point. Spikelets are arranged in two rows along the underside of the spike. Flowers are small, bisexual, and wind-pollinated. The fruit is a small caryopsis with a characteristic reticulate surface.
Diagnostic Characters
Distribution
Native range: Native to Africa, Tropical Asia.
In Pakistan: Common throughout Pakistan, India, Middle East, Tropical regions worldwide. In Pakistan found in Agricultural fields, Sandy soils, Roadsides.
Phenology
Ethnobotany & Uses
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Where it grows on campus
Taxonomic Notes
Dactyloctenium aegyptium belongs to tribe Cynodonteae.