Here, we will cover the most common tropical weeds that thrive in areas with abundant rainfall and warm temperatures throughout the year.

You’ll be surprised to know that some of the plants considered to be weeds in these areas are highly valued as vegetables, herbs or used for ornamental purposes in other areas.

Here are the 10 common tropical weeds, including their botanical names, characteristics, and ways to eliminate them

1. Creeping foxglove – Asystasia gangetica

• Local names: Chinese violet
• Family: Acanthaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Broadleaf

Creeping foxglove, also known as Chinese violet, is a perennial herb that is native to Asia and Southern Africa.

When mature, the weed can grow up to one meter tall, with dark green leaves and a weak slender stem.

The best way to get rid of creeping foxglove is to use preventative measures to prevent it from spreading.

These methods may include physically hand-pulling the entire plant, especially by its roots, plucking seedpods and uprooting seedlings.

2. Witchweed – Striga Lour

• Local name: Witchweed
• Family: Orobanchaceae
• Annual or perennial: Annual
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Sedge

Witchweed is a parasitic weed that attaches to a host plant to germinate and for early development. The weed originated from North Africa and Asia but has also recently spread to North America.

This perennial weed can grow up to 75cm, with rough green leaves and a thin stem. Witchweed is one of the tropical weeds with colorful blooms characterized by flowers which may be purple, white, yellow, bluish or a mixture of two colors.

Apart from hand pulling, you can also eliminate witchweed by growing trap crops, improving soil fertility, crop rotation and planting resistant crop varieties.

3. Milkweed – Asclepias syriaca

• Local name: Silkweed
• Family: Apocynaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Broadleaf

Named due to its milk-like latex when cut, Milkweed is a perennial flowering herb commonly found in Africa and parts of North and South America.

Milkweed originated from North America and Canada before spreading to other parts of the world. This poisonous weed can grow to about 1.8 meters tall, with simple green leaves and a cluster of pinkish-purple flowers. 

The most effective way to kill milkweed is by spraying herbicides, but you can also uproot the weed when still small.

4. Tridax daisy – Tridax Procumbens

• Local name: Coatbuttons
• Family: Asteraceae
• Annual or perennial: Annual
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Broadleaf

Tridax daisy is a noxious weed native to tropical America, especially Mexico. This invasive weed can grow to reach 50 cm tall.

Tridax daisy has a hairy stem, oval-shaped green leaves, and daisy-like flowers on branching stalks.

A single daisy plant can produce up to 1,500 achenes, easily spread by wind.

Professional application of herbicides effectively eliminates tridax daisy, although other methods, such as hand-pulling and mowing, can also work.

5. African club moss – Selaginella kraussiana

• Local name: Krauss clubmoss
• Family: Selaginellaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Broadleaf

Characterized by fern-like evergreen leaves, African club moss is a perennial weed naturally found in Sub-Sahara Africa. It is a low-growing plant, which barely exceeds 5 cm tall.

African club moss weed spreads quickly through rooting stems and can be challenging to eliminate.

Therefore, applying herbicides properly and early is advisable, but uprooting the young plant can also help.

6. Bermuda grass – Cynodon dactylon

• Local name: Bahama grass
• Family: Poaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Grass

Bermuda grass is considered a valuable fodder crop. It is a hardy perennial grass that can withstand prolonged drought seasons.

The grass originated from the Indian Ocean basin stretching from East Africa to India.

Bermuda grass spreads fast via its stolons and can be stubborn to eliminate. However, using approved herbicides or pouring boiling water on the grass can aid in killing the grass’s roots.

We’ve previously covered ways to eliminate weeds from Bermuda grass should you wish to use the grass in your lawn.

7. Siam weed – Eupatorium odoratum

• Local name: Devil weed
• Family: Asteraceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Broadleaf

Siam weed is another common tropical weed that is native to Central America. This perennial weed can grow up to 10 meters tall in shady areas.

The weed has green leaves that produce an aromatic odor and white-pinkish flowers.

A single Siam weed can produce over 80,000 achenes containing seeds that spread via wind.

You can get rid of the weed through the application of licensed herbicides and pulling it at the roots.

8. Carpet grass – Axonopus compressus

• Local name: Carpet grass
• Family: Poaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Grass

Native to the Americas’ tropical and subtropical regions, carpet grass is one of the tropical weed species distinguished by its two-edged seed head.

This perennial grass thrives in warm climates and can easily suppress other crops.

Hand-pulling can be effective in cases where the grass is not widely spread. In other cases, you may need to use herbicides or burning with boiling water to get rid of this weed.

9. Nutgrass – Cyperus esculentus

• Local name: Tiger nut
• Family: Cyperaceae
• Annual or perennial: Annual and Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Sedge

Nutgrass, also called tiger nut, is one of the weeds in tropical regions that are both perennial and annual plants.

The invasive weed can grow up to 90 cm tall with triangular stems and fibrous roots with nut-like tubers.

Tiger nut can produce as many as 2400 seeds in a single plant, spreading quickly. A common natural method for eliminating nutgrass is to pull it from the roots.

But for a more effective solution, consider applying herbicides.

10. Couchgrass – Elymus repens

• Local name: Common couch
• Family: Poaceae
• Annual or perennial: Perennial
• Grass, sedge or broadleaf: Grass

Lastly, we have couchgrass, a perennial grass native to Africa, Europe and Asia. This grass can grow up to 50 cm tall and has root stalks that aid in rapid spreading and thin hairy leaves.

Couchgrass is a very invasive weed as its root stalks can entangle around the roots of crops. It is, therefore, good to lightly pull the weed from the loose ground or dig deep to remove the grass.

Carla Etheridge

Carla is a student pursuing a B.S in Agricultural Systems Technology. With a passion for landscaping for over 4 years, Carla loves plants. She has previously contributed to several other sites in the space before joining InsightWeeds.

The post 10 common tropical weeds and their botanical names appeared first on InsightWeeds.

Before listing down all plants that look like weeds, it is important to know what wheat looks like. It may be obvious, but just to be sure you are not confusing it with any of these other plants, here are the characteristics of wheat:

• An upright stem with a cylindrical shape and solid carrying nodes. It has solid internodes too.
• Long flat leaves that can be anywhere from 3cm to 30cm long.
• It produces red-brown, white-brown, or white grains, which are consumed.
• Grows in a bunch with 5 to 40 stalks.
• Wheat is usually about 0.4 and 1.2 m tall.
• The size, grain and inflorescence vary depending on the species of wheat it is, as well as the growing conditions it is in. It grows in clusters with additional stems, ranging from 5 to 40 per plant.

Now that you know what wheat looks like, let’s check out similar-looking plants.

5 plants that look like wheat

These 5 plants are often confused with wheat:

1. Quack grass

Scientifically known as Elymus repens, this perennial plant is actually a weed. Its long and wide blades make it look a lot like most lawn grasses until it starts growing vertically.

Quack grass is a common lawn weed across the United States. You can be sure to find it growing in alfalfa fields.

While often mistaken for wheat, quack grass is slightly darker than young wheat and other turf grasses.

To identify it, look out for its finger-like projections that form a hook around the stem, mostly at the base of the leaf blade at the point where it connects to the stem. These hooks are called clasping auricles.

Quack grass is known for its extensive fibrous root system, which spreads rapidly in fields. It also has rhizomes, which make it hard to eliminate.

Once you think you have killed it all, the roots have already spread elsewhere without knowing it.

Because of this, gardeners often decide to completely clear the lawn or burn it and then start growing their turf grass from scratch.

We prepared a guide for those struggling to get rid of quackgrass. Here, we’ve explained different methods you can use, whether you prefer chemicals or a natural approach.

2. Switchgrass

Native to South America, Switchgrass is scientifically known as Panicum virgatum. You’ll often hear it called tall panic grass, tall prairie grass, wild redtop, thatch grass, and a long list of other names.

Switchgrass looks just like wheat. It was originally cultivated as a fodder crop to act as ground cover. But it also makes for a great decorative plant. It is one of the best perennial ornamental grasses commonly used in landscaping.

Like wheat, it has a tall, erect structure with a central cylindrical stalk and seeds that look similar to wheat.

3. Yellow fox tail

Setaria glauca is an annual warm-season grass. It thrives in very moist areas and fertile soils, growing up to 4 feet tall.

The plant has long, smooth, flat leaves, which can grow up to 12 inches long and ½ an inch wide.

On the upper surface of the leaves, close to the base, if you look closely, you will see about 1/8 an inch of spiral hairs.

The leaf edges are rough to the touch, and the stems are erect with a flat form, with a reddish color closer to the base.

Between June and September, the plant bears yellow seeds, whose heads measure 2 to 5 inches long.

The seeds are cylindrical and bristle-like, making the plant a grass that looks like wheat.

4. Hare Barley

Hordeum murinum spp. Leporinum is a very invasive and aggressive weed. It is also known as wild barley or winter barley.

Hare barley is found in the western states of the USA and sprouts in the winter. It can grow up to 3 feet tall, but most of them only manage to grow between 1 and 2 feet tall due to constantly changing soil and weather conditions.

The leaves are flat and narrow, ranging from ½ to ¾ cm in width, and have a thick coat of hair on their surface.

Hare barley produces spikes between April and June, breaking apart from the node when they mature.

It is a good livestock feed, but once the seeds have matured, they become poisonous, and the plant is no longer safe for consumption.

Given their tall stature and aggressiveness, they tend to suffocate other plants that grow below them, such as alfalfa.

5. Amaranth

Amaranth is an annual herb that belongs to the genus Amaranthus. Its leaves have been used as a staple food for centuries. They are considered a superfood in other areas.

The plant produces many flowers, which gather large clusters of inflorescence.

Amaranth can be classified together with wheat, barley, and rice. Just like all of them, it is also grouped as a grain.

This highly resistant plant grows in most soils and tolerates extreme conditions like drought. It also makes for a great fodder crop and an ornamental plant.

With the information above, you should be better positioned to differentiate wheat from other plants if you encounter them on your lawn.

Related

• 20 types of grass and their scientific names

Carter

IW’s Chief Editor and a lover of green spaces.

The post 5 plants that look like wheat appeared first on InsightWeeds.

As invasive species, these plants have been changing over time, hence the relative name. Because weeds come in different types, the best way of identifying them is by their scientific names.

Here, we will describe the most common weeds and their scientific names.

Theoretically, every recognized plant on earth has a two-part scientific name. The system used to classify them is known as binomial nomenclature.

Scientific names of plants are descriptions to suggest something about them.

An advantage of identifying plants by their scientific names is it becomes easier to know how to control them and determine their usefulness.

Here is a list of weeds that you are likely to find in your garden or yard and their scientific names. We have included pictures too so that you can identify them easily.

1. African Feather Grass – Cenchrus macrourus

The African Feather Grass, also known as bedding grass, is a perennial, clump-forming grass that can reach a height of about two meters.

It has deep fibrous roots and rhizomes that form new plants. Its leaves are harsh, strongly ribbed, and tough.

The plant is dark-green underneath and light green on top. Its stems are round, purplish-white, and have fine hairs that break when touched, causing skin irritations.

As one of the many grass weeds, you can control it by slashing or burning it before its seeds set it. You can also apply glyphosate or flupropanate during periods of growth to eliminate it.

2. African Lily – Agapanthus praecox

The African lily, also known as the blue lily, is a well-known garden weed throughout the world. It is a perennial plant with open-faced flowers.

Its flowers are white, blue, or purple, and bloom in the summer. When you open its capsules, you will find fine black seeds.

As a homeowner, you should try and control this plant because it has powerful roots that can penetrate or break concrete. Unlike other weeds, the Agapanthus praecox is challenging to remove.

It is resistant to most herbicides. The best way of eliminating it is to dig it out and spray the area evenly using a chemical surfactant. You can also use vinegar to eliminate the weed.

3. African Lovegrass – Eragrostis curvula

The African Lovegrass or weeping lovegrass is one of the most common garden weeds whose scientific name is Eragrostis curvula.

It is a long-lived perennial grass that can also be an annual plant in some regions.

When growing, it forms a dense root network with tufts of stems that are about two meters long and a diameter of 8 centimeters.

Its leaves are hair-like, narrow, rough, and blue-green to bright green.

The weed is tough to control at home. Its roots can penetrate over four meters deep in the soil and three meters laterally.

Its seedlings can send out many small rootlets, thus creating a dense root system. A useful way of eliminating it is to till with a deep disc or plow in hot, dry weather.

4. Canada Thistle – Cirsium arvense

The Canada thistle is a perennial flowering plant that thrives in areas with moderate temperatures, sunlight, and lots of groundwater.

It can grow to a height of 1.5 meters with thickened roots that spread many erect shoots. Its leaves have wavy spiny or toothed margins that are alternate, irregularly shaped, and lance-shaped.

The stems of the plant are smooth with short hairs. Its flowers are pink and purple. Canada thistle is adaptive and the worst invasive weed.

Controlling it is through snipping off the base of the plant. Avoid pulling it out because it can split its roots and cause two more of the weed to grow back.

5. Common Chicory – Cichorium intybus

The Common Chicory is a woody, perennial herbaceous plant with bright blue flowers that can sometimes be pink or white.

It grows in the wild, especially on roadsides, and has a robust, grooved, and hairy stem. Its leaves are light purple or lavender, and it has broad flower heads.

As a weed, chicory adapts to well-drained soils in full sun. If it grows in your small garden, removing it by hand is the most practical method of controlling it.

But you must ensure you get rid of all its roots.

6. Common Self-heal – Prunella vulgaris

The Common Self-heal is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 30 centimeters. Its stem is reddish, hard, and self-rooting.

Its leaves are lance-shaped, reddish at the axis, and serrated.

People who identify weeds by photos will notice that the common self-heal mostly grows on waste places, gardens, and roadsides.

If the plant is sprouting in lawns, control it by spraying a 2,4-D-based herbicide. Apply the treatment during chilly, moist, and calm climatic conditions.

7. Couch Grass – Elymus repens

The couch grass is a perennial weed characterized by creeping rhizomes that enable it to grow faster across grassland.

Its leaves are linear, flat, and hairy, with upright flower spikes. You can also identify it by the stems, which grow to a length of up to 1.5 meters.

Couch grass is one of the many naturalized weeds in the world categorized as invasive.

It can be challenging to remove it from the garden since the thin rhizomes can become twisted among shrubs.

Therefore, you can eliminate it by pulling it out during the spring. You can also dig deep in the ground to remove the entire grass.

8. Crabgrass – Digitaria sanguinalis

When you want to identify common weeds in the Digitaria sanguinalis class of species, you will come up with many names, including crabgrass, large crabgrass, purple crabgrass, and more.

It is a weed used as animal fodder with edible seeds. The crabgrass is an annual plant that has long, thin, radiating branches.

The crabgrass can be weedy or invasive. A practical way of killing it is to remove its visible clumps by pulling them out, including the roots.

Also, a simple solution of regular household vinegar and dish detergent can help to get rid of Digitaria sanguinalis.

If you want to prevent this grass from growing on your lawn, you should use a crabgrass preventer.

9. Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale

The Dandelion is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant. It is one of the many types of weeds that grow in temperate regions.

You will find them on lawns, on banks, on roadsides, on waterways, and on moist soils.

Its stems are upright, tinted purplish, and produce narrowly winged or unwinged leaves with yellow flower heads.

As a perennial plant, the best way of eliminating it from your lawn is to spray it with broadleaf herbicides. Herbicides will kill the entire plant, including the leaves and roots.

10. Duckweed – Portulaca oleracea

The duckweed, also known as common purslane, is an annual succulent characterized by smooth, reddish, prostrate stems. It can grow to a height of 40 centimeters with yellow flowers.

Its flowers can appear at any time of the year, especially with enough rainfall.

The duckweed has a taproot system with fibrous secondary roots. It can withstand poorly compacted soils and even grow in drought regions.

You can eliminate it by using 2,4-D-based herbicide or uprooting it using gardening tools.

11. English Plantain – Plantago lanceolata

The English plantain is a common rosette-forming perennial weed on cultivated land. It has a flower stalk that can produce up to two hundred seeds.

Plantago lanceolata can live in rainforest areas and dry meadows.

Although the plant has a taproot system, its ability to produce many seeds from one leaf makes it challenging to control. To eliminate it, start by pulling out the entire plant and root.

A rule of thumb is to pick off any flower stalks immediately after they begin to sprout to prevent them from spreading the seeds.

12. Groundsel – Senecio vulgaris

The Groundsel is an annual flowering plant that can grow to a height of 45 centimeters. It has sessile leaves that lack a stem and alternate in the direction along the length of the plant.

Its root system has a shallow taproot. Because of this trait, the weed can only spread by reseeding itself.

It is easy to control the groundsel because of its taproot system.

You can remove it by hand-pulling or cutting it off through hoeing. Ensure to eliminate the plant before it flowers and sets seed.

13. Ground Ivy – Glechoma hederacea

The Ground Ivy is a perennial plant considered an aggressive invasive weed. You will find it on most lawns because of its extensive root system. It is easy to identify it because its leaves are kidney-like or fan-shaped. The plant can spread by either its seed or stolon.

The Ground Ivy is a challenging plant to eradicate because of its root system and how it spreads.

It is the primary reason the weed has many other names, including creeping charlie, run-away-robin, and catsfoot.

You cannot eliminate it by hand-pulling. A practical way is to use a broadleaf herbicide that contains dicamba.

14. Knotgrass – Polygonum aviculare

The common Knotgrass, also known as prostrate knotweed, is an annual plant found in wastelands, arable land, and fields and grows mostly in temperate regions.

It has white flowers, a semi-erect stem, and hairless, short-stalked leaves. Its seeds need ample light to germinate and heavy rains of spring, hence the reason you will find it in disturbed soils.

It also has a long taproot that helps it to survive in hot climates.

The best way of eradicating the weed is to use glyphosate-based herbicides. Spray its leaves in the late summer or early autumn.

15. Orchardgrass – Dactylis glomerata

The Orchardgrass is a weed characterized by a dense network of non-rhizomatous roots. It is a perennial plant that can grow to a height of 120 centimeters.

Its leaves are V-shaped near the base and have a closed sheath.

Since its roots are dense, the plant tends to grow fast. Its rooting depths can reach up to two feet.

To control it, start by pulling it out and spraying the area using glyphosate herbicide.

16. Red dead-nettle – Lamium purpureum

The Red dead-nettle, also known as purple dead-nettle, is an annual herbaceous flowering plant characterized by a square stem that grows to a height of 20 centimeters.

Its leaves have fine hairs and are green in color at the bottom and purplish at the top. It has a taproot system that forms dense colonies by reseeding itself.

You can use glyphosate to control the weed while it is actively growing in spring or fall and in cold climates.

If you are a gardener, spread some mulch on the area you cleared to control the seeds.

17. Spotted Spurge – Euphorbia maculata

The Spotted Spurge is a fast-growing annual plant common in gardens and lawns. It is a weed that sprouts in sunny locations and different soils.

Its leaves are oval, its flowers are small with white petals, and its stem has a length of about 45 centimeters.

When you look at pictures of common weeds, you will notice that the Spotted Spurge is a small plant that you can remove by pulling.

But you should do it before it flowers and produces seeds. You can also kill it by using a weed killer or a non-selective herbicide containing 25% glyphosate.

18. Wild Madder – Rubia peregrine

The Wild Madder is a perennial herbaceous weed that grows in bushes, thickets, stony grounds, hedges, and along paths and roads.

It has a woody stem, which is also climbing, square, and hairless, and can reach a length of up to 2.5 meters. Its leaves are evergreen, sessile, leathery, and glossy.

As one of the common weeds and their botanical names on this list, Rubia peregrine refers to a plant that is resistant to stress.

You can eliminate it by using herbicides, burning, or uprooting it.

19. Yellow Foxtail – Setaria pumila

The Yellow Foxtail is an invasive annual weed that grows in lawns, roadsides, sidewalks, and other areas.

It can grow to a height of 20 centimeters and has a hairless stem whose color can range from purple-tinged to green. When growing, it tends to spread aggressively, making it difficult to control it.

If the weed has invaded your garden or sidewalk, eliminate it by pulling off its seed heads to prevent it from repopulating the same area.

You can also dig deep into the soil to remove its roots. Alternatively, use pre-emergence herbicides to kill it permanently.

20. Yellow Woodsorrel – Oxalis stricta

The Yellow Woodsorrel is a herbaceous plant that grows in woodlands, disturbed areas, and meadows. It is both an annual and perennial weed that has clover-like leaves.

When you look at pictures of weeds, it is easy to spot the plant because it is common in most gardens, and people have used it in salads. However, it also has poisonous parts.

When it blooms, it produces yellow flowers and grows to a maximum height of one foot. It can also spread quickly because the plant grows in all types of soil.

You can eliminate it by hand or dig it up using a hoe. Another option is to use a non-selective herbicide.

In conclusion

The 20 most common weeds and their scientific names are those that grow in backyards, lawns, small gardens, and walkways. Some of them are perennial, and others are annual.

Depending on the characteristics of the plants, you can eliminate them by hand-pulling, digging out, or using a non-selective herbicide.

Carter

IW’s Chief Editor and a lover of green spaces.

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