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seagreen_turtle

Ugly grass but not "regular" crabgrass

5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Zone 5B/6a SE MIchigan.

These pictures show it after being cut. I am going to dig them up. There's a patch by my hostas. I was curious what it is before I get rid of it. I see little flowers or something on a couple of the bunches.

I don't know what the weed in the lower left corner is either but, unless someone can identify it just from this, I can take better pictures with tallish stem above the more mature ones with flower.


Comments (13)

  • 5 years ago

    What is the geographic location? The grass may be impossible to ID without an entire flower to look at.

  • 5 years ago

    Sorry, I'm SE Michigan Zone 5b/6a. This grass hasn't moved into my lawn. I have had it around for years. Clumps. It may have hitched a ride with a hosta i planted a few years back. So not super invasive. It should be easy to remove. I just never got a 'round tuit' until this year. I have a LOT of beds and plants. Now that I'm semi-retired I'm going through everything and tidying.

  • 5 years ago

    The grass has a "flower" shown if that's what those green things are, or are those seeds? Otherwise no flowers I've ever seen.


    The non-grassy weed in the lower left corner has a small yellow flower atop a long skinny stem. i'll take a picture of it and post it separately in a few days. It's highly invasive and doesn't pull up easily.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Lower left weed looks like nipplewort, Lapsaria communis.

    btw, mowing the lawn will keep the grass from flowering/producing seedheads.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I didn't ever mow this until a few days before the picture. This is in a garden bed not the lawn. I used a string trimmer. My lawn is quite well-maintained but I've left this in the hosta bed for years. It grows in clumps. There was one in first year. After three years there are 5. Not invasive.

    I wanted to know what they were before I dig them up. Won't change my action just wondering.


    The other weed isn't nipplewort I don't think but I didn't give a decent picture. Now I know what nipplewort is and it does have yellow flowers but they're different and the leaves aren't the same. The weed I have is UGLY (this picture doesn't do it justice in it's unattractiveness) and gets brown pods after flowering.

  • 5 years ago

    the grassy stuff

    looks like a short sedge to me,

    a Carex


    the round things could be flowers/ seed heads

    seagreen_turtle Z6a SE Michigan thanked linaria_gw
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Yes, Carex for sure. There could be an intact seed head in there? Do you have a microscope handy?

  • 5 years ago

    Yes, I googled Carex and, though most look attractive, I did see some that didn't like mine.


    Mine's a perennial so I don't think it's annual bluegrass as mentioned previously. I should have mentioned that..


    I DO have a microscope. What am I looking for?

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Carex is such a huge genus, and many are similar enough to require thorough investigation often calling for the use of microscopes. Some species might be distinct enough to easily ID. The link goes into the identification process. I myself know very little about keying out Carex species with all the different sections, and not much experience either, but I do know botanists that excel at it.

    Let the sedge grow and make a completely formed flower. Make sure it's fully mature, and finished developing. Take a photo, and submit it. Make sure all the parts of the flower are clearly visible. The flowers on them now look like they may have been clipped off.

    https://michiganflora.net/genus.aspx?id=carex


    seagreen_turtle Z6a SE Michigan thanked Jay 6a Chicago
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    are the flowers of the non-grass-weed yellow?

    it reminds me of Geum urban, that has a rosette, and long flower stalks

    some of the segdes are not too bad in the garden and pop up in the lawn when it is too harsh for regular grasses (Poaceae)

    we have spot unter pines that is covered with some similar looking short-ish Carex

    seagreen_turtle Z6a SE Michigan thanked linaria_gw
  • 5 years ago

    Yes, the non grass weed is Geum urban. I googled and it looks just like it. I will post a picture of the full plant later. I have many specimens unfortunately. It's invasive.


    I'm headed out there now for an afternoon of gardening after going to the store to stock up on Fox Farms potting soil and Espoma soil conditioners and fertilizers.


  • 5 years ago

    Here's a better picture of the Geum urban that shows leaves, flower and a (seed head?) where the three arrows are pointing. Not in the sharpest focus.


    Thanks everyone for the help with bthe sedge and the Geum sp.


    I caption this photo as "battle of the invasives" as there are snow on the mountain, Boston Ivy, English ivy, and Geum urban in a small area around some lilacs I have by the driveway.