A nondescript weed in mulch

Florida Weed ID

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.

Light green fuzzy spikes of small leaves
Artilleryweed
Dry brown thin bladed grass
Bermudagrass
small green plant with oval leaves and serrated edges
Florida Betony
Small green plant with tiny leaves
Bittercress
Delicate small green plant with feathery leaves
Chamberbitter
A thin grassy blade that ends in a Y shape
Crabgrass/Signalweed
Small green plant with teardrop shaped leaves
Dayflower
small green plant with oval leaves and serrated edges
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
Asiatic Hawksbeard
fluffy green grassy plant
Kylinga
Green low growing plant with lilypad like leaves
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
Spurge
Small red flowers that resemble pom poms
Tasselflower
Leggy grasslike plant
Torpedograss
Clover like weed
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.

For more about weed identification and management, contact us at your county Extension office.

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