Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type (no specific commercial cultivars)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10, completes its entire life cycle in a single growing season, dying off completely with freezing winter temperatures
About This Grass
A coarse-textured annual grass with a sprawling, sprawling growth habit radiating from a central crown, pressing flat against the ground when mowed low, turning yellowish-green or purplish in autumn before dying with the first frost
Blade Characteristics
Blades are medium-coarse (4-10 mm wide), flat, pointed tips, light to bluish-green, rolled in the bud, with distinct hairs on the upper and lower surfaces, prominent membranous ligule, and no auricles
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system with stolons that root easily at the nodes where they touch the soil, establishing rapidly 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 prostrate mat-forming habit, rooting at the lower nodes
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun and warm temperatures, moderate to high water needs for active germination, high drought tolerance once established through deep-rooted dormancy strategies, prefers well-drained soils
Mowing & Maintenance
Resilient to low mowing by spreading horizontally beneath typical mower blades, high maintenance requirement to prevent seed production, requires pre-emergent herbicides in early spring and post-emergent control
Special Characteristics
Exceptional ability to colonize bare ground and thin turf, high seed production per plant, poor wear tolerance compared to dense turfgrasses, highly invasive in neglected home lawns and sports fields
Ecological Information
Introduced weed species in North America, provides minimal wildlife forage value, aggressive competitor that crowds out desirable turf grasses, primarily managed through dense turf canopy maintenance and cultural controls