Crowsfoot Grass

Botanical name: Eleusine indica

Common Names

Bull Grass, Crab Grass, Dog Grass, Goose Grass, Goose Foot, Iron Grass

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Crowsfoot Grass Description

A tufted, short-lived, grass with spreading or semi-upright stems growing up to 60 cm tall. Its leaf sheaths are prominently keeled and there is a membranous structure (0.5-1 mm long) at the base of the leaf blade. Its narrow leaf blades (3-35 cm long and 3-8 mm wide) are mostly hairless. Its seed-heads have 1-15 branches (3.5-15.5 cm long) that radiate outwards from the same point. Numerous flower spikelets (3.5-7 mm long) are densely arranged along these seed-head branches.

SIMILAR SPECIES

Several other grass weeds have a similar seed-head to crowsfoot grass (Eleusine indica) and can occasionally be confused with it. These include summer grass (Digitaria ciliaris ), green couch (Cynodon dactylon) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana ).

Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana ) is usually a much taller plant (up to 1.2 m tall) and has brownish-green coloured seed-heads. Summer grass (Digitaria ciliaris ) has much finer seed-heads, with slender branches, and its flower spikelets fall entire leaving no bracts. Green couch (Cynodon dactylon) also has much finer seed-heads and regularly produces runners that root at the joints (i.e. it is stoloniferous).

SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS:

  • In nurseries: use Apparent Salvo, Fusilade, Ronstar or Dismiss.
  • In garden beds: use Barricade or Spartan.
  • In lawns: use Barricade or Spartan.

 

Reference: https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/crowsfoot-grass