Smooth Crabgrass

Smooth Crabgrass description

Before heading out, both Smooth crabgrass and Large crabgrass are distinguished by their tapered leaf blades, their split sheaths with hairless margins, their membranous ligules with no auricles, their more or less hairy lower leaf sheaths and their either hairy or smooth blades. After heading out, the slender finger-like spikes are distinctive.(source: OMAFRA)

Propagation

Smooth crab grass is an annual weed reproducing only by seed.

Similar species

It is often confused with large crab grass and fall panicum. It is distinguished by tapered leaf blades, membranous ligules without auricles and hairy lower leaf sheathes. It is distinguished from large crab grass by only having a single whorl of spikes at the end of the stem. (source: OMAFRA)

Distribution

Smooth crabgrass is found throughout the country.

Identifying Smooth Crabgrass

Seedling

Like large crab grass, hairy and lying on the ground but usually less hairy.

Juvenile plant

Stems are erect and can reach a length of 5 -120 cm. They can be spreading or lying on the ground and rooting at nodes. Leaves are smooth and have hairless leaf blades. Upper leaf sheaths usually smooth and without hair, while lower leaf sheaths may be somewhat hairy.

Ligule is also membranous

Mature plant

Stem smaller than 1.2m. Hairless. Seed head finger like.