Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3-10, annual life cycle completes in a single growing season, dying with the first frost.
About This Grass
An aggressive, coarse-textured annual weed grass that forms spreading clumps and mats with light green to bright green leaves and branching seed heads.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades, flat shape, pointed tips, light green color, rolled vernation, with prominent membranous ligules and hairy sheaths.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system with roots often forming at the lower nodes where stems touch the ground, allowing rapid establishment.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and temperate Asia, now widespread globally in temperate and tropical regions
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and spreading prostrate mat-forming
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and moist soils, moderate drought tolerance once established, thrives in poor or compacted soils.
Mowing & Maintenance
Mows well at low heights but can easily survive under typical lawn mowing by producing horizontal seed heads; high maintenance to eradicate.
Special Characteristics
High weed competitiveness, rapid seed production, low wear tolerance as a persistent lawn weed, excellent at invading thin turf.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in North America, often considered a noxious turf weed, provides minimal wildlife value compared to native grasses, spreads aggressively in disturbed soils.