Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Summer Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Not applicable (Wild species)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Zones 3-11; dies with the first hard frost in autumn, leaving behind bare patches in the lawn. Seeds remain viable in soil for many years.
About This Grass
A low-growing, spreading summer annual that forms dense, unsightly clumps in turf. It has a pale green color and coarse texture. When unmowed, it can reach 1-2 feet, but typically stays flat. Seed heads are digital (finger-like) spikes emerging from the stem top.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades (5-10mm wide), flat, with a sharp pointed tip. Color is typically a yellowish-green to medium green. Vernation is rolled. Features a prominent midvein and long, stiff hairs on the leaf blades and sheaths. Ligule is membranous and tall; auricles are absent.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system; establishes very quickly. It spreads by rooting at the nodes (stolons) where they touch the soil, forming a dense, competitive mat that chokes out desirable turf.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and temperate Asia; naturalized throughout North America and most temperate regions globally.
Growth Habit
Prostrate, spreading bunches; primarily stoloniferous adventitious rooting at the lower nodes; fast-growing mat-forming habit.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full Sun (thrives in heat); requires minimal water but grows aggressively with irrigation. Highly drought-tolerant once established; prefers disturbed or compacted soils with pH 5.5-7.5.
Mowing & Maintenance
Extremely low height tolerance; can survive and set seed even when mowed at 0.5 inches. High maintenance level for control (requires pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicides). Not a maintained turf grass.
Special Characteristics
Extremely high wear tolerance; very drought resistant; aggressive competitor in thin lawns. Is considered a major weed in golf courses, home lawns, and agriculture.
Ecological Information
Introduced/Invasive status in North America. Provides some food for small birds (seeds), but generally considered an ecological nuisance that displaces native forage and managed turfgrasses.