Doveweed
Murdannia nudiflora
A late-emerging summer annual in the dayflower family that mimics St. Augustine and centipede foliage and spreads by stolons, often unnoticed until it displaces turf.
Identification
Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) is a low-growing summer annual with thick, fleshy, shiny leaves up to about four inches long that have parallel veins and clasp the stem with a closed sheath, giving the plant a grass-like look that often lets it blend into turf and go unnoticed early on. It spreads by fleshy, creeping stems (stolons) that root at the nodes, forming mats. Small three-petaled flowers are blue to purple and appear in summer. The succulent, rubbery leaves, the sheathing leaf bases, and the blue-purple flowers distinguish doveweed from true grasses and from other prostrate broadleaf weeds; when very young it is easily mistaken for a grass seedling.
Symptoms & Damage
Doveweed degrades the stand by forming dense, fleshy mats of creeping stems that crowd and shade out turfgrass, leaving thin and weakened areas. Because it is grass-like and blends in early, infestations are often advanced before they are noticed, by which point the rooting stolons have spread widely and outcompeted the desirable turf for light, water, and space. The succulent mats disrupt turf uniformity and persist through the warm season, reseeding the area for following years.
Biology
Doveweed is a warm-season summer annual in the spiderwort family that reproduces by seed and spreads vegetatively through stolons that root at the nodes. Its seeds germinate relatively late, after soil temperatures reach roughly 65 to 70 degrees F, which is later than many other summer annual weeds and a key reason preemergence timing is often missed. Seeds can persist in the soil for several years, so management must be planned over two to three seasons to draw down the seed bank, and the rooting stolons let established plants form expanding mats within the turf.
Occurrence & Spread
Doveweed favors warm, moist, and poorly drained sites and is most aggressive in over-irrigated or chronically wet turf, especially in warm-season lawns of the southern United States. It invades thin or weakened stands where moisture is excessive, and its late, prolonged germination combined with its grass-like early appearance allows it to establish before it is recognized. Improving drainage and reducing excess moisture are central to limiting its encroachment.
Favorable Conditions
Warm, moist sites; germinates when soils reach ~18–21°C (65–70°F), later than crabgrass — so early preemergents may lapse.
Cultural Management
The best cultural defense is a healthy, dense, competitive turf maintained through regular mowing at the proper height, balanced fertilization, and appropriate soil pH management. Because doveweed thrives in wet conditions, improving drainage and reducing excessive irrigation removes the moisture it depends on and is one of the most important steps in reducing infestations. Since seeds persist in the soil for years, management should be sustained over two to three seasons, and prompt attention to thin or wet areas denies the weed open ground to colonize.
Further Reading
University extension resources — open in a new tab.
Related Reports
No published reports yet for this pest.
Reports will appear here as they are peer-reviewed and published.