Crabgrass, Native To NH, Confirmed To Now Be Extinct: Officials

CONCORD, NH — A native plant to New Hampshire, last seen in the 1930s, has been declared extinct globally, state officials said.

The New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau said smooth slender crabgrass, which has only been found in Rock Rimmon Park in Manchester, no longer exists. Smooth slender crabgrass, also known as digitaria leaviglumis, is different than the non-native crabgrasses found in most Granite state lawns.

Samples of similar plant species have been found in Mexico and Venezuela which, officials said, gave hope the grass existed in other parts of the world. However, recent scientific studies determined those samples were not a match.

Human-related activities are partially to blame, a report stated. Bill Nichols, a senior ecologist and state botanist with the Natural Heritage Bureau, said botanists gathered a “high number” of smooth slender crabgrass collections during the early 1930s. This collection “may have inadvertently contributed to its demise,” he said.

“But more traceable impacts on its environment, including heavy recreation use, severe soil erosion on the summit, and competition from non-native crabgrasses,” he said, “also likely contributed to its being designated globally extinct.”

The Manchester park has been a botanical hotspot for more than a century with rare plant records dating back to the 1890s documenting 10 state-endangered or state-threatened plants. Officials said five of the 10 no longer exist.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.