Crabgrass (Large Crabgrass)
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, Subfamily Panicoideae, Tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Common wild-type; no specific turf cultivar (generally considered a weed)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Zones 2-11; annual life cycle means it dies with the first hard frost but persists via thousands of seeds in the soil bank.
About This Grass
A low-growing, spreading annual that forms pale green to blue-green clumps. It stays prostrate under mowing but can reach 2 feet if left unmowed. It produces finger-like spikelets as seed heads in late summer.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse (typically >4mm), flat, tapering to a point; light green to yellowish-green color; vernation is rolled; lacks auricles; has a prominent membranous ligule with a jagged edge.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system; establishes very quickly; roots easily at the lower nodes (stolons) when in contact with moist soil; low thatch but high soil competition.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and Asia; highly invasive and widely naturalized throughout North America
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and decumbent; spreads by rooting at the nodes (culm-rooting) to form dense prostrate mats
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full Sun (thrives in heat); requires minimal water once established; extremely drought tolerant; prefers disturbed or compacted soils with pH 5.5 to 7.5.
Mowing & Maintenance
Highly adaptable; can survive mowing as low as 0.5 inches; maintenance usually involves eradication via pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicides rather than cultivation.
Special Characteristics
Extreme heat tolerance; rapid summer growth; high seed production; salt tolerant; highly competitive against desired turfgrasses like Bluegrass or Fescue.
Ecological Information
Introduced/Invasive status; seeds provide food for small songbirds and ground-foraging birds; however, it is generally managed as a nuisance that displaces native flora in manicured landscapes.