Turfgrass Weeds

Weeds of Texas Turf

Casey Reynolds, PhD and Matt Elmore, PhD

Weed Home Page Picture

Not seeing what you are looking for? Use this document when preparing samples or photographing weeds for identification purposes.

Weed Identification

Weeds, like all plants, are classified based on morphological characteristics of their vegetative and reproductive structures. A basic understanding of the types of weeds commonly found in turf is very helpful in identification and herbicide selection.

Weeds are often grouped by morphological characteristics into the categories: broadleaf weeds, grassy weeds, and sedges (Table 1).

Table 1. General Characteristics of Weed Species When Grouped as Broadleaf weeds, Grassy Weeds, or Sedges.
Broadleaf Weeds Grasses and Grass-like Weeds Sedges
Embryo Dicot Monocot Monocot
Stem Usually solid, variable in shape Hollow, round or flattened Solid, usually triangular
Leaf Shape Variable Simple, entire Simple, entire
Leaf Arrangement Variable Alternate, 2-ranked Alternate, 3-ranked
Leaf Veins Netted Parallel Parallel
Inflorescence Highly variable, often colored and showy Spike, Raceme, or Panicle. Head-like with flattened spikelets
Secondary Growth None, Tubers, Bulbs, Rhizomes, Stolons, etc. None, Rhizomes, and/or Stolons None, Rhizomes, and/or Tubers
Family Classification Many Poaceae, Iridaceae, Commelinaceae, Liliaceae, others Cyperaceae
Examples Henbit, Chickweed, Prostrate Spurge, Slender aster, etc. Crabgrass, Dallisgrass, Annual bluegrass, Smutgrass, etc. Purple nutsedge, Yellow nutsedge, Green Kyllinga, etc.

Identifying weeds based on these features is helpful because herbicides are often particularly effective on one or more of these groups. However, it is important to be able to identify specific weeds within a group (down to the genus and species level), because many herbicides only control certain species.  This is also important because there are several species of weeds with vegetative characteristics (leaves, stems, sheaths, etc.) that appear to be grasses, but when left un-mowed their floral characteristics reveal that they are actually quite different. These species are sometimes referred to as “grass-like” weeds and for the purposes of organization they are classified in the image gallery below as Grassy Weeds.

Broadleaf Weeds

Annual Sow-thistle
Annual Sow-thistle

Arrowleaf Clover

Asiatic Hawksbeard

Bitterweed

Black Medick
Black Medick

Bristly Mallow
Bristly Mallow

Buckhorn Plantain

Burclover

Carolina Dichondra

Carolina Geranium
Carolina Geranium

Carpetweed
Carpetweed

Catchweed Bedstraw
Catchweed Bedstraw

Common Chickweed
Common Chickweed

Common Groundsel
Common Groundsel

Common Mallow
Common Mallow

Cudweed sp.
Cudweed sp.

Curly Dock
Curly Dock

Dandelion
Dandelion

Dogfennel
Dogfennel

Dollarweed
Dollarweed

Field Bindweed
Field Bindweed

Field Madder
Field Madder

Filaree
Filaree

FF-TN
Frogfruit

Ground Ivy
Ground Ivy

Hairy Bittercress
Hairy Bittercress

Hairy Buttercup

Hedge Parsley

Henbit
Henbit

Horrible Thistle

Horse Purslane
Horse Purslane

Horseweed
Horseweed

India Mock Strawberry
India Mock Strawberry

Japanese Mazus
Japanese Mazus

Khakiweed
Khakiweed

Lawn Burweed
Lawn Burweed

Lespedeza
Lespedeza

Mouse-ear chickweed
Mouse-ear chickweed

Paleseed Plantain
Paleseed Plantain

Pepperweed
Pepperweed

Pigweed
Pigweed

Pillpod Sandmat
Pillpod Sandmat

Powderpuff
Powderpuff

Prostrate Knotweed
Prostrate Knotweed

Purple Deadnettle
Purple Deadnettle

Purslane
Purslane

Ragweed
Ragweed

Reversed Clover
Reversed Clover

Scarlet Pimpernel
Scarlet Pimpernel

Shepherd's-purse
Shepherd’s-purse

Showy Evening Primrose
Showy Evening Primrose

Silverleaf Nightshade
Silverleaf Nightshade

Slender Aster
Slender Aster

Slender Fumewort
Slender Fumewort

Slim-lobe Celery
Slim-lobe Celery

Spiny Sowthistle
Spiny Sowthistle

Spotted Burclover
Spotted Burclover

Spotted Spurge
Spotted Spurge

Sprawling Horseweed
Sprawling Horseweed

Sticktight Buttercup
Sticktight Buttercup

Sweet Clover
Sweet Clover

Swine Wartcress
Swine Wartcress

Texas Dandelion
Texas Dandelion

Texas Ragwort
Texas Ragwort

Texas Thistle
Texas Thistle

Toothed Spurge
Toothed Spurge

Trampweed
Trampweed

Tropic Croton
Tropic Croton

Vetch
Vetch

Violet Woodsorrel
Violet Woodsorrel

Virginia Buttonweed
Virginia Buttonweed

Virginia Copperleaf
Virginia Copperleaf

Water Hyssop
Water Hyssop

Western Horsenettle
Western Horsenettle

White Clover
White Clover

Wild Carrot
Wild Carrot

Winecup
Winecup

Yellow Woodsorrel
Yellow Woodsorrel

Grasses and Grass-like Weeds

Annual Blue-eyed Grass
Annual Blue-eyed Grass

Annual Bluegrass
Annual Bluegrass

Annual Ryegrass
Annual Ryegrass

Bahiagrass
Bahiagrass

Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass

Blue-eyed Grass
Blue-eyed Grass

Common Dayflower
Common Dayflower

Crowfootgrass
Crowfootgrass

Crow-Poison
Crow-Poison

Dallisgrass
Dallisgrass

Doveweed
Doveweed

Goosegrass
Goosegrass

Johnsongrass
Johnsongrass

Jungle Rice
Jungle Rice

King Ranch Bluestem
King Ranch Bluestem

Large Crabgrass
Large Crabgrass

Ohio Spiderwort
Ohio Spiderwort

Prairie Nymph
Prairie Nymph

Prairie Spiderwort
Prairie Spiderwort

Red Sprangletop
Red Sprangletop

Rescuegrass
Rescuegrass

Sandbur
Sandbur

Smooth Crabgrass
Smooth Crabgrass

Smutgrass
Smutgrass

Spring Starflower
Spring Starflower

Wild Onion
Wild Onion

Sedges

Annual Sedge
Annual Sedge

Green Kyllinga
Green Kyllinga

Purple Nutsedge
Purple Nutsedge

Yellow Nutsedge
Yellow Nutsedge