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Goosegrass

Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.

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Goosegrass spikelets
Goosegrass
Goosegrass habit
Goosegrass habit
Goosegrass
Goosegrass spikelets
Goosegrass inflorescence
Goosegrass habit
Goosegrass spikelets
Goosegrass

Morphology

Culm
Prostrate to ascending or erect, slightly flattened, glabrous.
Blades
Flat or folded, 2-8 inches long, less than 1/4 inch wide, mostly glabrous but sometimes with long hairs on upper surface near ligule; tips blunt or rounded.
Sheath
Loose, keeled, overlapping below, flattened, sparsely hairy or glabrous.
Ligule
Membranous, irregularly cut or torn.
Inflorescence
Panicles; branches 2-10, spike-like, 1.5 to 4 inches long, crowded at tip of culm, palmately whorled, sometimes 1 or 2 borne below main whorl.
Spikelets
Numerous, crowded, 2-7-flowered; awns absent; florets sessile, closely overlapping in 2 rows along 1 side of rachis.

Ecology

Habitat
Waste areas, lawns, and fields, common in compacted soils that border trails and roads.
Distribution
Principally east 3/4 of Kansas.

Additional Notes

Comments

Tufted. This naturalized grass is a common weed in tropical and subtropical areas.

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Grass
Family
Poaceae - Grass Family
Life Span
Annual
Height
4-30 inches
Last Updated
2021-02-20
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: July, August, September