Weed Guide

Galium boreale

Bedstraw, also called catchweed, is a winter annual. The leaves of bedstraw are formed in whorls containing 6 - 8 leaves around square stems. The leaves are narrow to lanceolate...

Desmodium incanum

Creeping beggerweed is a perennial weed that develops from a large taproot. Creeping beggerweed has many branched runners capable of rooting at nodes along the stems. Leaves are composed of...

Convulvulus arvensis

Field bindweed is a summer perennial member of the morning glory family. The leaves of field bindweed are arrowhead shaped and appear alternately on long creeping stems. Field bindweed has...

Medicago lupulina

Black medic is normally a summer annual, but can act as a perennial in some conditions . It has a tap root, and spreads low to the ground, but it...

Plantago major

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...

Plantago lanceolata

Buckhorn plantain is a slender fibrous rooted perennial. The leaves develop in a basal rosette. They are long slender leafs approximately one inch across. The leaves have distinctive parallel venation.
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Cirsium vulgare

A variety of thistles are found in turf. Like most, bull thistle is a biennial. It grows over the summer months. The leaves are alternate; blades are simple and form...

Stellaria media

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...

Digitaria sanguinalis

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...

Rumex crispus

Curly dock is a winter perennial. It contains a deep fleshy tap root. In a turf situation the leaves appear in a rosette form. The leaves are actually alternate at...

Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion is a winter perennial. The dandelion has thick fleshy tap root which often branches. New plants come from the root and root segments. Leaves form in a rosette, are...

Richardia scabra

Florida pusley is a summer annual found most often in warm season turfgrass areas. The leaves can be hairy and are grow opposite one another on hairy stems. The growth...

Eleusine indica

Goosegrass is a prostrate-growing summer annual. The leaves are folded in the bud. Goosegrass grows in a clump with the base of the leaves being distinctively white to silver in...

Glechoma hederacea

Ground ivy is a creeping winter perennial. The leaves are round to kidney shaped with round toothed edges. The leaves are opposite on long petiole attached to square stems that...

Lamium amplexicaule

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...

Polygonum aviculare

Prostrate Knotweed is a summer annual, which forms dense patches. Prostrate knotweed is probably the earliest of the summer annuals to germinate in the spring. Prostrate knotweed is...

Lespedeza striata

Common lespedeza is a prostrate growing summer annual. Three oblong, smooth leaflets, all joining on a common petiole, have a prominent mid-vein. Stems are wiry, prostrate and freely branching.

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Malva neglecta

Common mallow ranges from a winter annual to a perennial depending on the location. The spreading stems of mallow grow prostrate with leaves borne on long petioles. Common...

Cerastium vulgatum

Mouseear chickweed is a winter perennial. The leaves are opposite, oblong and covered with hair. Mouseear chickweed grows prostrate but will have several upright stems, and can tolerate close mowing....

Oxalis stricta

Yellow Woodsorrel, also known as Oxalis, is a summer annual, that can be perennial in some areas. Yellow Woodsorrel grows on weak stems that branch at the base and may...

Toxicodendron radicans

Poison ivy can be an erect woody shrub or a climbing vine. The leaves alternate on red stems. They are glossy and have 3 leaflets 2 - 3 inches long...

Lactuca serriola

Prickly lettuce, also called wild lettuce or compass plant, is a winter annual. The leaves form in a basal rosette. Prickly lettuce has a deep tap root which...

Toxicodendron diversilobum

Poison oak is identified by 1 ½ to 3 inch long leaflets with two to seven deep lobes resembling oak leaves. Lateral leaflets appear without stalks on viny...

Portulaca Oleraca

Purslane is a summer annual with prostrate growth from a tap root and fibrous surface roots. The leaves are thick and waxy, resembling a Jade plant. The leaves usually alternate,...

Ambrosia artemisiifolia

This erect summer annual flowers from August through October, spreading allergy-causing pollen in the air. This plant can be identified by the purple color found on the undersides of its...

Rumex acetosella

Red sorrel, also referred to as sheep sorrel, is a summer perennial. The leaves alternate and form a basal rosette. The older leaves are arrowhead shaped with two basal lobes...

Capsells bursa-pastoris

Shepherd\'s-purse is a winter annual. It forms basal leaves as well as alternating stem leaves. The basal leaves are deeply lobed, pointing away from the base. The root of shepherd\'s-purse...

Euphorbia maculata

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...

Diodia virginiana

Virginia buttonweed is a prostrate-growing perennial with branching hairy stems. The leaves are elongated, lance-shaped and grow opposite one another on the stems and are joined by a membrane. Virginia...

Trifolium repens

White clover, found throughout the US, is a shallow rooted winter perennial legume which spreads by stolons or above ground runners. The plant takes root from the stolons at nodes...

Geranium carolinianum

Wild geranium, also called Carolina geranium, is a semi-erect winter annual. The erect stems are branching and covered with hair. The alternate leaves are on long petioles and...

Viola pratincola

Wild violet is a winter perennial, growing 2 - 5 inches tall. It can have a tap root or a fibrous root system, and also can produce rooting...