Florida Weed ID

A nondescript weed in mulch

Plant identification is one of the most frequent online requests of the Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program. And the urgency is high when it comes to pest plants!

Knowing how to manage and prevent weed intrusion is an important part of integrated pest management (IPM). Gardening Solutions has an extensive list of common weeds, and identifying plant pests is the first step to managing them effectively.

Below are a few of Florida’s most common weeds.

UF/IFAS Florida Weed ID Videos

UF/IFAS Weed Specialist Dr. Chris Marble can help you identify and manage plant pests. Click the image below for a short weed identification video about the species you select.

Fluffy green weed with spikes of tiny leaves.
Artilleryweed
Dry brown thin bladed grassy weed
Bermudagrass
Small green plant with oval shaped leaves serrated at the edges.
Florida Betony
Chamberbitter is a weed that resembles a miniature mimosa tree.
Chamberbitter
Bittercress is an unremarkable green weed with tiny leaves.
Bittercress
A thin grassy blade that ends in a Y shape
Crabgrass/Signalweed
Small green plant with teardrop shaped leaves
Dayflower
small green plant with long curling stems, tiny thin leaves and even small dots of white flowers.
Old World Diamond Flower
Green low growing plant with lilypad like leaves
Dollarweed
Low growing grassy weed
Dove Weed
Grassy weed with spiky green balls at the tips
Globe Sedge
Spindly plant with flat leaves at the bottom and a thin stem with a weedy yellow flower
Asiatic Hawksbeard
fluffy green grassy plant
Kylinga
A weed that resembles short growing wheat
Nutsedge
Small green plant with lance shaped leaves and tiny white flowers
Pusley
Small daisy like flower with simple petals and a fuzzy yellow center
Spanish Needles
Weed with reddish, fleshy stems topped with green leaves growing outward like an umbrella.
Spurge
Small red flowers that resemble pom poms
Tasselflower
Sparse grassy weed with tough leaf blades
Torpedograss
Small weedy plant resembling a leggy clover
Oxalis or Wood Sorrel

More Identification Resources

Don’t see your weed above?

Try this extensive weed identification picture list from the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research Center (RCREC). The UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas also offers pictures of common invasive plants.

Woman sitting behind a booth with a sign reading Horticultural Help - Free! and The plant doctor is in

Send us a Sample

Still no luck?

Don’t worry; the Master Gardener Volunteers and Extension agents at your county Extension office are here for you! Send a high quality picture of the plant in question via email, and they will reply with their identification (here’s a tip sheet on taking and sending plant photos; pdf). You can also bring a sample in in-person and we’ll be happy to help.

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