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Different Kind of Weeds With Pictures

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

Different Kind of Weeds With Pictures

Source: https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/turfgrass-weeds/