WEED IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
Weeds In Texas Lawns
Common Texas Weeds
Prickly Lettuce
Prickly lettuce is a winter annual. The leaves form in a basal rosette. Prickly lettuce has a deep taproot which will exude a milky sap. Prickly lettuce will produce an upright stem on which the leaves will be alternate. The mature leaves are deeply lobed. The leaves will twist vertical to the stem. The leaves have a row of spines along the mid-vein of the lower surface. The flowers of prickly lettuce are yellow in color and approximately 1/3” in diameter. Flowers are produced in late spring to early summer. Prickly lettuce reproduces by seed. Prickly lettuce is found throughout most of the United States and Canada except southern Florida, northern Maine and Newfoundland.
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Dandelion
Dandelion is a winter perennial. The dandelion has a thick fleshy taproot which often branches. New plants come from the root and root segments. Leaves form in a rosette, are deeply lobed, with the lobes pointing toward the base. Both the leaves and flower stems contain a white milky fluid. The flowers are yellow and are individual stems. The seeds are brown with the tip containing white hairs. The yellow flower will turn to a white globular puffball. The seeds are disseminated by wind. Dandelions spread by both seed and stems from the root. Dandelion is found throughout the United States.
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Sandbur-Sticker
Sandbur is a summer annual grass. Sandbur forms clumps due to lack of rhizomes and stolons, but can root at nodes on the stems if they touch the ground. The leaves are folded in the bud, the ligule is a fringe of hairs, and auricles are absent. The plant turns brown in winter. The seedhead of sandbur consists of a spike like raceme containing spined or burred seeds. The seeds catch on clothing or animal fur. Sandbur is commonly found in the Midwest and Southeastern United States.
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Broadleaf Plantain
Broadleaf plantain is a shallow mostly fibrous rooted perennial. The leaves which develop in a rosette are large oval shaped with predominant veins. Broadleaf plantain is similar to several other plantain species, but does not have the purple color at the petiole of the leaves. The main growth period for broadleaf plantain is from June through September. The seedhead is described as a rat-tail like seed head with flowers along the upper half of the seed head. Broadleaf plantain spreads by both seed and shoots from the roots. Broadleaf plantain is found throughout all of the United States.
Crabgrass
Crabgrass is a summer annual that germinates when soil temperatures reach a consistent 55 degrees F and is generally killed at the first frost. Crabgrass leaves are rolled in the bud; the first leaf appears short, wide and blunt-tipped. The ligule is tall and membranous with jagged edges, and the auricles are absent. The collar is broad with long hairs. Crabgrass is light green in color, coarse bladed and will root at the nodes when they touch the ground. A single crabgrass plant can produce up to 700 tillers. It is a bunch type grass. The inflorescence is a panicle of branches, with spikelets in two rows. A crabgrass plant can produce 150,000 seeds. Crabgrass needs warm soils and sunlight to germinate. Crabgrass is found throughout the United States.
Henbit
Henbit, a member of the mint family, is an upright winter annual that blooms in the spring. The leaves are rounded on the end with rounded toothed edges that grow opposite one another on square stems Upper leaves lack petioles. Henbit can grow from 4- to 12- inches tall on weak stems. Although an upright plant, weak stems sprouting from the bottom may lay almost horizontal. Henbit can be confused with purple deadnettle. The leaves of purple deadnettle, however, are more pointed at the end and are slightly scalloped. The lower leaves of purple deadnettle are on long petioles, the upper leaves are on short petioles. The flowers of henbit are purple, tubular shaped and form in the whorls of the upper leaves. Henbit spreads only by seed and is generally not a problem in dense, vigorous turfgrass sites. Henbit is found throughout the United States.
Purslane
Purslane is a summer annual with prostrate growth from a taproot and fibrous surface roots. The leaves are thick and waxy, resembling a jade plant. The leaves usually alternate, with a cluster at the tip of the stem. Stems are thick, red in color, and branch out from a central point, forming a mat up to 1-foot in diameter. The flower is solitary, yellow in color and has 5 petals. The flower is found in the leaf axis or at the tip of the stem. Purslane flowers from May to November and spreads by seeds, which germinate in the spring, or by stem fragments. Purslane is found through out the United States, but less in the Pacific Northwest.
Dallisgrass
Dallisgrass is a warm season coarse perennial which is light green in color. The leaves are rolled in the bud, flat and wide (1/2"). Auricles are absent and the ligule is tall, pointed, and membranous. Dallisgrass has hairs on the lower portion of the leaf near the ligule. The seedhead contains 3 - 6 spikes, with seeds on both sides of the spike. Dallisgrass can form short thick rhizomes, but spreads upright in clumps. This highly invasive plant germinates in soil temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F and thrives in the hot humid conditions of the southern states. Dallisgrass is found throughout humid southern United States, ranging from the mid-Atlantic states south and west to Tennessee.
Common Chickweed
Common chickweed is a shallow fibrous rooted winter annual which grows in moist shaded areas. The leaves are small, smooth, pointed at the tip and elliptic in shape. They are opposite on branching creeping stems, which root at the nodes. Chickweed adapts well to different mowing heights. The flowers of common chickweed are white, small star like with 5 notched petals. Common chickweed spreads by seed. Common chickweed is found throughout the United States except in the Rocky Mountains.
Nutsedge
Sedges have triangular stems with waxy grass-like leaves which alternate. Sedges are not grass plants, but seedlings may be mistaken for grass. The leaves on both sedges are waxy and have an upright growth habit and a prominent midrib. Both sedges have underground root systems containing rhizomes and underground tubers which accomplish most of the reproduction. On yellow nutsedge, the tubers (nutlets) form at the end of whitish rhizomes. Purple nutsedge forms chains of tubers along brownish rhizomes. The flowers of yellow nutsedge are yellowish; the seedhead color of purple nutsedge is red-purple to brown. Both seedheads are on triangular stems. Both spread mainly by germinating underground tubers, which are the only part of the plant that over-winters. A yellow nutsedge tuber can produce 1,900 plants and 7,000 new tubers in a single growing season. Sedges do well where soil has poor drainage. Yellow nutsedge is found throughout the United States; Purple nutsedge is primarily found in the warm humid southern states.
Spurge
Spotted spurge is a summer annual. While similar to prostate spurge, there are several subtle differences in the two varieties. Spotted spurge has a more erect growth habit than prostrate spurge. They have similar leaves, which are small and oblong shaped with an irregular red to purple spot, but the leaf of spotted spurge is slightly larger than that of prostrate spurge. Both spurges will have leaves that grow opposite on the stem, but spotted spurge has fewer leaves per stem. Both spurges contain a milky sap in the stem. Prostrate spurge roots at the nodes, spotted spurge does not. The flower of spotted spurge is small and green in color. It germinates in mid spring and flowers from June to September. Both spotted and prostrate spurge reproduce from seed, although prostrate spurge also roots at the nodes. Both spurges are found throughout the United States.
Black Medic
Black medic is normally a summer annual, but can act as a perennial in some conditions. It has a taproot, and spreads low to the ground, but it does not root from nodes on the stems. Black medic is more active on soils low in nitrogen fertility. The leaf is similar to clover and other legumes, having three leaflets. Black medic's center leaflet is on a separate petiole. The flower of black medic is a compressed cluster of bright yellow flowers in the shape of a globular spike on short branches. The seed pod will turn black at maturity. Black medic produces viable seed under normal mowing conditions. Black medic is found throughout the continental United States.
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Rescuegrass
While rescuegrass won’t harm your chosen turf grass in your yard, it dies off very quickly. This means you’re left to patch up yellow spots with overseeding or sod plugs. The best way to handle it is with a selective herbicide and a close eye: look out for hairy leaf sheaths and flattened spikes, and apply the treatment very carefully.
Poa Annua
Small tufted to clumped, yellow-green winter annual. Leaf blade smooth on both surfaces, with two distinct, clear lines, one on each side of the midrib, blades often wrinkled (wavy). Folded vernation. Leaf tip keeled or long, slightly pointed. Sheath smooth, compressed, and keeled. Light green to whitish spikelets that lack cottony hairs, are arranged on branches, one to two per node, in dense to open flower clusters. Fruits throughout life cycle with majority of seedheads formed during spring. Perennial biotypes (P.annua var. reptans (Hauskins) Timm.) occur in moist, closely mowed areas, such as golf course greens. Compared to annual bluegrass, the perennial biotypes generally are darker colored, more prostrate growing, produce few seedheads, and often form patches from short stolens.
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Aster
This plant also goes by roadside aster and slender aster. It grows in clumps, producing flowers that resemble a daisy. While that sounds attractive at first, asterweed can become problematic pretty quickly.As it matures, the plants, stems become woodier, meaning that they’re sturdier as well as more difficult to get rid of. Best practice is to water thoroughly, as it prefers dry soil, and to apply a pre-emergent treatment before asterweed gets a chance to flower.