Crabgrass with Slime Mold
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10
About This Grass
An annual grassy weed often invaded by harmless saprophytic slime mold (visible as white and pinkish masses on mulch and surrounding vegetation), showing low-growing sprawling stems.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse texture, medium to light green, rolled in bud, pointed tips, membranous ligule with no auricles
Root System
Fibrous and shallow root system with roots forming at lower nodes touching the soil, fast establishment
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and tropical Asia, now globally naturalized
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and spreading prostrate mat-former
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full sun, high moisture requirement during germination, moderate drought tolerance once established
Mowing & Maintenance
Requires frequent low mowing to prevent seed production; high maintenance as a weed
Special Characteristics
Aggressive spreader, high seed production, highly invasive in thin lawns, poor wear tolerance compared to turfgrasses
Ecological Information
Weedy annual species, provides little forage value, slime mold is harmless and feeds on decaying organic matter in the soil and mulch