The definition of a weed is any plant that is unwanted in your yard or garden. There are three types of weeds: broadleaf, grasses, and sedges. Identifying Weed Types is the first step in Control, and will assist in weed control methods.
Broadleaf Weeds
Broadleaf Weeds are those that have, as the name indicates, a wide leaf and grow from a stem. Since they look like the grass you are growing for your lawn, they are easy to locate. Two common broadleaf weeds are Beggar’s Tick (Bidens alba) and Florida Pusley (Richardia scabra). Both are annuals and have seeds that perpetuate new plants each year.
Grass Weeds
Grass Weeds have only one leaf when they emerge as seedlings. The plant usually has long, thin blades with round, hollow or solid stems. One type that you may have found in your lawn at one time is Southern Crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris), which is an annual with two-inch-long leaves and a clumping or loose runner growing pattern. The seed heads can form from different points along the stems, and one plant can produce up to 700 seeds.
Sedge Weeds
Sedge Weeds have triangular stems. Unlike grass, they do not have any nodes on their stems. Also, the most prolific sedges are Yellow and Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus). Inflorescences are branching stalks of flattened spikelets in an umbrella-like shape, subtended by long, leaflike bracts
Weed identification is the first step in Lawn Weed Control. Please consult the University of Florida publications for specific recommendations:
- ENH884 – Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns
- ENH1311 – Florida Homeowner Herbicide Guide: Considerations, Applications, and Selection
Still having trouble identifying Florida plants and weeds, then visit the Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic. The hours are Monday through Friday, from 9am to 4pm. Master Gardeners are stationed in the plant clinic from 10am to 2pm. Visit the Plant Clinic at the Lake County Agriculture Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares, FL 32778, T: 352-343-4101.
This article was written with the help of MGV Karen Kennen, Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer. Thank you! The image was generated by an AI tool with the expressed purpose of visualizing the three categories of lawn weeds. Microsoft, July 10 2026, copilot.microsoft.com.
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