Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type (common weed/forage ecotypes)
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-10 as a warm-season summer annual. Dies with the first hard frost.
About This Grass
A low-growing, coarse annual grassy weed that spreads rapidly by prostrate stems rooting at the nodes. Leaves are bright green to blue-green, turning purplish in autumn. Can grow up to 1-2 feet tall when left unmowed, producing branching raceme seed heads.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are medium to coarse (4-10 mm wide), flat, pointed at the tip, light green, with hairy surfaces. Vernation is rolled in the bud. Ligule is a membranous, jagged structure without auricles.
Root System
Fibrous and shallow root system with adventitious roots developing from lower nodes touching the soil. Establishes rapidly from seed in bare or thin turf areas.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and spreading, rooting at the lower nodes, forming a loose, sprawling mat.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and warm temperatures. Moderate to high water needs for active growth, but highly resilient during dry spells by entering a semidormant state or relying on abundant seed production.
Mowing & Maintenance
Hard to control by mowing alone due to its low-growing, spreading habit. Survives at low cutting heights. Maintenance level is high for eradication, requiring pre-emergent herbicides, hand-pulling, or post-emergent selective herbicides.
Special Characteristics
Extremely high seed production allows it to rapidly colonize bare spots in lawns. Low wear tolerance compared to dense turfgrasses, but highly competitive in stressed, thin, or heavily compacted soils.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in North America. Considered a major agricultural and turf weed. Provides minimal forage value for livestock and wildlife, but seeds are consumed by some ground-feeding birds.