Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type
Hardiness Zones
Thrives across USDA Zones 3 to 10 as a warm-season annual, killed by the first hard frost.
About This Grass
A coarse, light green to yellow-green annual grassy weed. Unmowed plants can grow 12 to 24 inches tall with sprawling, branching stems that root at the nodes. It produces finger-like raceme seed heads in late summer.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are coarse, 4 to 10 mm wide, flat, pointed at the tips, light green, rolled in the bud (vernation), with a membranous ligule and no auricles. Often sparsely hairy on the upper and lower surfaces.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system with stolons that root at the joints where they touch the soil. Establishes rapidly from seed in spring.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and spreading, rooting at the lower nodes, forming loose mats.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and open areas with good moisture, though it has moderate drought tolerance once established by going dormant or surviving in thin turf. Prefers well-drained soils but thrives in compacted areas.
Mowing & Maintenance
High maintenance weed; survives low mowing by spreading horizontally. Controlled primarily by pre-emergent herbicides in early spring or post-emergent herbicides, and maintaining thick turf.
Special Characteristics
Low wear tolerance individually but aggressive spreader via seed and stolons. Highly invasive in thin lawns, excellent at colonizing bare spots and tolerating soil compaction and heat.
Ecological Information
Introduced species often considered a noxious weed in turfgrass. Provides minimal food value for certain birds via seeds, but its primary role in managed landscapes is as a troublesome invasive weed.