Long Grass

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Long Grass
• Sourgrass

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Rhynchospora fabri
• Valota insularis
• Andropogon insularis
• Andropogon fabricii
• Schoenus fabri
• Milium hirsutum
• Syntherisma insularis
• Trichachne insularis
• Digitaria leucophaea
• Tricholaena insularis
• Tricholaena saccharoides
• Panicum falsum
• Panicum duchaissingii
• Nardus dactyloides

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Poales, it is further categorized into the family Poaceae. Its specific taxonomic placement concludes within the genus Digitaria.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several distinct oceanic and continental regions. In Eastern Asia, its presence is documented specifically within the Kazan-retto area. Moving into the Malesian region, it can be found throughout the Philippines. Its range extends into Papuasia, where it inhabits both New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Finally, the species reaches the South-Central Pacific, specifically occurring in the Marquesas.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Digitaria insularis is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to diverse environmental conditions and a wide altitudinal distribution. It thrives across a broad elevational gradient, ranging from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 2500 m AMSL. This species exhibits high ecological plasticity, inhabiting a variety of distinct biomes and ecosystems, including the Caatinga (strictu sensu), Cerrado (lato sensu), Restinga, and various forest types such as Floresta Ciliar or Galeria, Floresta Estacional Decidual, Floresta Estacional Semi-decidual, and Floresta Ombrófila (pluvial). Furthermore, its ability to colonize Áreas Antrópicas demonstrates its capacity to integrate into human-modified landscapes, making it a resilient component of multiple Brazilian ecological niches.

Elevational range max:

2500 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica, Caatinga (stricto sensu), Cerrado (lato sensu), Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria, Floresta Estacional Decidual, Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, Floresta Ombrófila (= Floresta Pluvial), Restinga

Life history

The life history of Digitaria insularis is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist across multiple growing seasons. It adopts a hemicryptophyte life form, meaning its perennating buds are located at or just below the soil surface, protected by the ground litter or soil layer during unfavorable environmental conditions. This specific growth strategy, categorized under both hemicryptophyte classifications, enables the species to maintain its biological presence and recover effectively following seasonal changes or disturbances.

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Digitaria insularis is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody, graminoid herb. It functions as an independent organism, lacking any parasitic tendencies, and is strictly terrestrial in its ecological habit rather than being aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic. As a self-supporting plant, it does not exhibit climbing behaviors such as liana or vine growth, maintaining a stable, upright, or spreading structure typical of its graminoid classification.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

graminoid

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Digitaria insularis is fundamentally defined by its highly efficient C4 photosynthetic pathway, a specialized metabolic adaptation that distinguishes it from C3 plants. By utilizing a spatial separation of carbon fixation, the plant employs Kranz anatomy to concentrate carbon dioxide around the enzyme RuBisCO within the bundle sheath cells, thereby significantly minimizing photorespiration. This C4 mechanism allows for high rates of carbon assimilation even under conditions of high light intensity, elevated temperatures, and limited water availability. Consequently, the plant exhibits superior water-use efficiency and nitrogen-use efficiency, enabling it to maintain robust metabolic activity and rapid biomass accumulation in challenging, arid, or high-temperature environments where C3 species would otherwise experience physiological stress.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C4

Reproduction

Reproduction in Digitaria insularis is primarily achieved through the production of small, lightweight seeds that facilitate dispersal across various terrains. The reproductive output is characterized by a highly consistent seed morphology, with a recorded seed mass of 0.00045 g. This specific measurement remains uniform across the observed samples, as both the mean, maximum, and minimum seed mass values are identical at 0.00045 g. This lack of variance in seed mass suggests a highly standardized reproductive strategy, ensuring that each unit produced possesses the same physical properties for successful establishment and propagation.

Seed mass mean:

0.00045 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Digitaria insularis has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Veterinary parasitology

Chemicals

Digitaria insularis has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Fatty acids, Terpene.

Fatty acids

1. Veterinary parasitology

Terpene

1. Veterinary parasitology

Activities

Digitaria insularis has 2 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Acaricide, Anticholinesterase.

Acaricide

1. Veterinary parasitology

Anticholinesterase

1. Veterinary parasitology

Preparations

Digitaria insularis has 7 reported preparations identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Fr2, butanolic (BT) extracts, crude hydroethanolic (CH) extracts, ethyl acetate (EA) extracts, four fractions of HE.

Fr2

1. Veterinary parasitology

Butanolic (bt) extracts

1. Veterinary parasitology

Crude hydroethanolic (ch) extracts

1. Veterinary parasitology

Ethyl acetate (ea) extracts

1. Veterinary parasitology

Four fractions of he

1. Veterinary parasitology

Hexanic (he) extracts

1. Veterinary parasitology

Residual hydroethanolic (rh) extracts

1. Veterinary parasitology