Origin:
A native plant in eastern North America, occurring from Pennsylvania south throughout Florida, and west to Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. It also occurs in Latin America and the West Indies as well as eastern Asia.
Biology:
A perennial reproducing from seeds and spreading with rhizomes. A common weed in turf and landscape, as well as many other moist to dry habitats along roadsides or waste areas.
Identification:
Plants form dense tufts of stems and leaves at the base, and leaf blades are flat, smooth, and fairly stiff, allowing them to grow erect and not drooping. At the end of the stem several additional flattened leaves are produced laterally, and a number of short to long stalks also are produced which terminate in the flower heads. These are round to oval clusters of seeds about ½ inch in diameter.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Control of excessive moisture in turf will help to discourage the growth of most sedges, including the various Kyllinga species. For sedges that reproduce only from seeds control with pre-emergent herbicides can be effective. Post-emergence control in turf will require a selective herbicide which targets the sedges specifically. In non-turf settings a systemic, non-selective herbicide will be effective.
