Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type (non-cultivar weed)
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10. Dies off completely with the first hard frost as it is a summer annual, leaving unsightly brown patches.
About This Grass
An aggressive, low-growing annual weed that forms sprawling patches. Height ranges from 6 to 24 inches if left unmowed, but it typically survives close mowing by growing horizontally. Color is light to medium green, often with purplish or reddish tints on the stems and leaf sheaths. Seed heads feature finger-like spikes (racemes) arranged digitately.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse texture with blades 4-10 mm wide, flat, and sparsely hairy on both surfaces. Vernation is rolled in the bud. Ligule is a tall, membranous structure with a jagged or fringed top. Auricles are absent. Collar is broad and continuous with prominent hairs.
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system with nodes on creeping stems that readily root when touching damp soil. Fast establishment from seed in spring, poor drought tolerance causing it to go dormant or die in extreme dry spells, but exceptionally persistent.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and prostrate, spreading via creeping stems that root at the lower nodes, forming loose mats.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and thrives in hot, open areas. Prefers moderate to high moisture but can tolerate compacted, poor soils with low fertility. Soil pH adaptability is wide, thriving between 6.0 and 7.0.
Mowing & Maintenance
Survives low mowing by spreading horizontally beneath mower blades. To control, maintain a dense turfgrass canopy, mow at higher settings, and apply pre-emergent herbicides in early spring before soil temperatures reach 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. High maintenance required for removal.
Special Characteristics
Poor wear tolerance as a standalone turf, highly competitive in thin lawns, excellent at colonizing bare soil and erosion-prone areas, highly invasive in residential lawns and agricultural fields.
Ecological Information
Introduced species considered a noxious weed in turf settings. Provides limited forage for some wildlife and insects, but primarily acts as an opportunistic colonizer of disturbed soils, outcompeting desirable turfgrasses.