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Violet Crabgrass

Digitaria violascens

Found in sandy fields, roadsides, and woodland borders. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 59%

Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet

At a glance

Bloom
September to October

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 15 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Digitaria

  • Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
  • Atalopedes huronSachem
  • Dargida rubripennisThe Pink-Streak
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Fissicrambus mutabilisStriped Webworm, Striped Sodworm, Changeable Grass-Veneer
  • Hedone vibexWhirlabout
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hesperia attalusDotted Skipper
Show all 26
  • Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Leucania subpunctataWhite-Dotted Wainscot, Forage Armyworm
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
  • Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
  • Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered Lemon
  • Marimatha tripunctaThree-Spotted Lemon
  • Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
  • Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Polites othoSouthern Broken-Dash, Broken-Dash Skipper
  • Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
  • Protodeltote muscosulaLarge Mossy Lithacodia, Large Mossy Glyph, Large Mossy Grass Moth
  • Redectis vitreaWhite-Spotted Redactis
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
21BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Digitaria

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columba liviaRock Pigeon
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Show all 21
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Peucaea aestivalisBachman's Sparrow
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Porzana carolinaSora
  • Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
  • Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
  • Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Vireo belliiBell's Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Digitaria ischaemum var. violascens

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNA
Global rankGNR
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources