Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass, Pasture/Forage Grass, Erosion Control
Hardiness Zones
Thrives across USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10. Excellent heat tolerance, killed by the first hard frost as an annual.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type (common weed/forage ecotypes)
About This Grass
An aggressive, low-growing to sprawling summer annual grass. Can reach 1 to 2 feet in height when allowed to grow unmoved, but typically forms a low, tangled mat in neglected lawns. Light to medium green color, turning purplish in autumn. Coarse texture with finger-like (digitate) raceme seed heads.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are medium-coarse (4-10 mm wide), flat, pointed at the tip, light green to blue-green, and sparsely hairy on both surfaces. Vernation is rolled in the bud. Ligule is a membranous, jagged structure. Auricles are absent. Broad, hairy collar region.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system with secondary roots forming where stolon nodes touch the moist soil. Fast establishment from seed in spring. Low thatch-forming tendency as an annual, but dead stems can create surface debris.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and branching, rooting at the lower nodes, forming loose, sprawling mats.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and thrives in hot conditions. Moderate to high water needs for rapid growth, but can survive summer dry spells by entering dormancy or producing abundant seed. Prefers well-drained soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
Mowing & Maintenance
Mows well when maintained at 2.0 to 3.0 inches. High maintenance as a weed in lawns requiring pre-emergent herbicides and dense turf competition. As a turfgrass, it is undesirable and requires constant control.
Special Characteristics
Extremely high seed production allows it to quickly colonize bare spots. Poor wear tolerance compared to dense turfgrasses, highly invasive in thin lawns, excellent at stabilizing bare eroding soil quickly.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in North America. Provides minimal wildlife food and seed for ground-feeding birds, but its primary ecological role is rapid bare-ground colonizer and soil stabilizer. Often considered a troublesome weed in managed turf.