Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Hardiness Zones
Widely adaptable across USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10, functioning strictly as a summer annual that completes its life cycle in a single season.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type
About This Grass
An annual grassy weed with a sprawling, branching growth habit that hugs the ground before turning upward. Stems can reach up to 2 feet tall when unmanaged. Light green to grayish-green color, with characteristic finger-like (digitate) seed heads consisting of multiple racemes radiating from the top of the stem.
Blade Characteristics
Medium to coarse texture (3-8 mm wide), flat, pointed tips, rolled in the bud (vernation). Leaves are often sparsely hairy, especially near the collar region. Ligule is membranous and jagged, auricles are absent.
Root System
Fibrous and shallow root system with stolons that root at the nodes. Rapid germination and establishment from seeds in spring, forming loose patches rather than a dense, uniform sod.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and temperate Asia, now widely naturalized globally 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 thrives in warm, dry soils with moderate moisture. Very high drought tolerance during its growing season, becoming dormant or dying off with the first hard frost. Prefers compacted or thin turf areas with neutral to slightly acidic pH.
Mowing & Maintenance
High maintenance weed; difficult to control culturally except by maintaining a dense turf canopy. Mowing low can encourage horizontal growth. Hand pulling is effective for small infestations, while pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides are standard for management.
Special Characteristics
Exceptional ability to invade thin lawns, high seed production capacity, excellent tolerance to heat and poor soil compaction, but low wear tolerance compared to established turfgrasses.
Ecological Information
Considered an invasive weed in managed turfgrass settings. Provides minimal forage value for livestock and wildlife, but its seeds are consumed by some birds. Lacks the soil-binding density of permanent perennial turfgrasses.