Goosegrass is a tough summer weed of lawns, golf courses, and sidewalk cracks, easy to spot by its flattened stems that radiate from a whitish center like a wagon wheel. It thrives in compacted, heavily trampled soil where few other plants survive. It is also called Indian goosegrass or wiregrass.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A summer annual that forms a low, flat clump up to about 2.5 ft (80 cm) across. It does not root at the stem joints and has no runners.
- Leaves
- Leaf blades are 1/5–2/5 in (5–10 mm) wide with blunt tips. The sheaths are flattened and turn whitish near the base.
- Flowers
- Usually 2–6 stiff spikes fan out from the top of the stem. Each spike carries two rows of small , a bit like a zipper.
- Flowering time
- In California it blooms from July through October.
- Fruit
- Tiny, reddish-brown, one-seeded fruits held inside a thin covering.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- lawns
- golf courses
- athletic fields
- sidewalk cracks
- roadsides
- crop fields
- Range
- Found in warm regions around the world. In the US it is a common weed of lawns and fields, for example in North Carolina and California; in California it grows statewide below about 660 ft (200 m), except in unirrigated deserts.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers full sun and compacted or worn soil. Close mowing, frequent watering, and heavy foot traffic all help it compete.
- Flowering
Flowers Jul–Oct
Flowers Jul–Oct
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Spreads only by seed and can still set seed when mowed short. Seeds sprout once soil reaches about 60–65°F (16–18°C), at least two weeks later than crabgrass.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Threats
- A major weed of crops and turf; some populations have become resistant to herbicides, including glyphosate.
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