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Weed identification in Nurseries and Landscapes

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Large Crabgrass - Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes > Large Crabgrass
Life cycle: Prostrate to ascending summer annual.

Leaves: Both leaf surfaces and sheath are densely hairy. Leaves are rolled in the bud and more numerous at the base. Leaves are generally shorter, wider and more tapered than those of most other grasses.

Ligule: Jagged, membranous ligule.

Stems: Prostrate to ascending stems may reach 3 feet tall, capable of rooting at the nodes. Mature stems are often compressed in cross-section.

Flowers and fruit: The seedhead is a terminal panicle that consists of a few to several slender, fingerlike branches arranged in a whorl. Each plant is capable of producing thousands of yellowish brown, narrow oval to lance-shaped seeds.

Reproduction: Seeds.
 
Large crabgrass collar region Large crabgrass seedling Large crabgrass seedhead
Large crabgrass collar region. Large crabgrass seedling. Large crabgrass seedhead.
 
Smooth crabgrass collar region Smooth crabgrass plant
Smooth crabgrass collar region. Smooth crabgrass plant.
Similar weeds: Smooth crabgrass [Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl.] Differs by having a smaller stature, hairless to sparsely hairy leaves and sheath, a tuft of long hairs at the collar region and stems that do not root at the nodes.
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated: 10/18/07