Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type (No specific cultivars for common turf weed forms)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10. Dies off completely with the first hard frost as an annual, overwintering purely via seed banks.
About This Grass
Forms coarse, sprawling clumps with sprawling stems that root at lower nodes. Light to medium green color, turning purplish-red at the base and stems. Height ranges from 6 to 24 inches if left unmowed. Features finger-like racemes (seed heads) at maturity.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are medium to coarse in width (4-10 mm), flat, pointed tips, light green to bluish-green, rolled in the bud (vernation). Membranous ligule, prominent hairy sheath and blade surfaces, and narrow collar with small or absent auricles.
Root System
Fibrous and shallow root system with strong propensity to root at lower nodes where stems touch the soil. Rapid establishment from seed in spring, forms a loose sod rather than a tight turf.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and spreading prostrate mat-forming habit, rooting at the lower nodes.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and cannot tolerate dense shade. Moderate water needs, though highly drought-tolerant by going dormant or surviving in thin turf. Thrives in compacted, poor-drainage, warm soils with neutral to slightly acidic pH.
Mowing & Maintenance
Mows well only if cut low (under 2 inches) before seed heads form. High maintenance as a weed, difficult to control without pre-emergent herbicides and proper cultural practices like dense turf maintenance.
Special Characteristics
Extremely high seed production, highly invasive in thin lawns, excellent tolerance of heat and compacted soils, poor wear tolerance compared to established perennial turfgrasses, highly competitive in disturbed areas.
Ecological Information
Introduced species globally considered a noxious agricultural and turf weed. Provides minimal wildlife food via seeds for ground-feeding birds, but generally acts as an opportunistic colonizer of bare soil and disturbed ecosystems.