Goosegrass
Eleusine indica · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, Subfamily Chloridoideae, Tribe Cynodonteae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Native/Wild type (No specific cultivar)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Zones 3-11 (as an annual); dies with first hard frost but seeds remain viable for many years.
About This Grass
A low-growing, coarse summer annual that forms a prostrate rosette. It is notable for its silvery-white center and flat, overlapping leaf sheaths. It is highly competitive in compacted soils and can tolerate low mowing heights.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are 3-8mm wide (coarse), dark green to dull green, flat or folded. Tips are blunt or pointed. Vernation is folded. Ligule is short, membranous, and divided/fringed. Auricles are absent. The leaf sheaths are distinctly flattened and lighter-colored (silvery-white) toward the base.
Root System
Extremely strong, fibrous root system that is very difficult to pull from the ground manually. Does not produce rhizomes or stolons; it relies on high seed production for spread.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Africa and Asia; widely naturalized across the Americas and Europe in temperate and tropical zones.
Growth Habit
Bunch-type (prostrate/clumping). It grows in a distinct radial, star-like pattern, clutching the ground tightly with a white to silvery center.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full Sun (highly light-dependent); very high drought tolerance; thrives in compacted, poorly aerated soils where turfgrasses fail.
Mowing & Maintenance
Highly resistant to mowing; can survive and set seed at heights as low as 0.25 inches. Maintenance involves pre-emergent herbicides and reducing soil compaction through aeration.
Special Characteristics
Exceptional wear and traffic tolerance due to its prostrate growth and tough fibers. Known for outcompeting desirable turf in high-traffic areas like athletic field sidelines and golf course tees.
Ecological Information
Introduced/Invasive in most turf settings. It offers minimal wildlife value and is primarily viewed as a weed that indicates heavy soil compaction and lack of competition from perennial grasses.