Key Identification Features of Cogongrass

Flower/Seed head

• Cylindrical in shape
• 2-8 inches in length (total flower or seed head)
• Silvery white in color
• Light fluffy dandelion-like seeds
• Blooms from late March to mid June (flower timing depends somewhat on local climate)

 

 

 

Leaves

 

• Blades up to 6 feet long
• About 1 inch wide
• Whitish, prominent midrib, that is often off center
• Margins finely serrate
• Some leaves are very erect, but some may droop or lie flat
• Often light yellowish-green in color
• Could have a reddish cast in fall/winter or brown after frost or freeze

 

 

 

Plant Base

 

• No apparent stem
• Leaves appear to arise directly from or close to the ground
• Overlapping sheaths give a rounded appearance to the plant base
• All vegetation doesn't arise from one dense clump, instead the plants are more spread out
• Light-green to yellowish in color, or could be reddish
• Often a lot of thatch around base

 

 

 

Leaf collar/Ligule

 

• Ligule is a thin-fringed membrane
• Leaf sheaths overlapping, giving the plant a round appearance
• Hairy (the ligule is the most hairy part of the plant, the plant base may also be somewhat hairy)

Rhizome/Roots

• Dense mat
• Many sharp points
• Covered in flaky scales
• Bright white under scales
• Strongly segmented

Whole Plant

• Densely growing patches
• Tall grass (up to six feet, averaging 3-4 feet)
• Circular infestations
• Plants often turn brown in winter (at least partially, but may depend on local climate)