Identifying weeds in field crops
This information about field crop weeds was developed from the publication An IPM Pocket Guide for Weed Identification in Field Crops by Wesley Everman, Christy Sprague, Steven Gower and Robert Richardson. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference from the MSU Extension Bookstore (publication E3081).
For reference:
Common weeds found in field crops
Identify weeds by:
Identifying characteristics
-
Absent
- Membranous
- Hairy
- Kidney
- Linear
- Lance-shaped
- Oblong
- Oval
- Egg-shaped
- Round
- Spatula-shaped
- Smooth
- Birdsfoot trefoil
- Blackseed plantain
- Broadleaf plantain
- Buckhorn plantain
- Carpetweed
- Common chickweed
- Common milkweed
- Common mullein
- Common purslane
- Common waterhemp
- Field bindweed
- Hedge bindweed
- Hemp dogbane
- Hoary alyssum
- Kochia
- Ladysthumb
- Mile-a-minute
- Mouseear chickweed
- Pale smartweed
- Pennsylvania smartweed
- Pokeweed
- Powell amaranth
- Prostrate pigweed
- Prostrate spurge
- Redroot pigweed
- Smooth pigweed
- Spotted spurge
- Spreading dogbane
- Swamp smartweed
- Tartary buckwheat
- Vetches
- White campion
- Wild buckwheat
- Lobed
- Serrated or toothed
- Annual sowthistle
- Black medic
- Common blue violet
- Common cocklebur
- Common eveningprimrose
- Common groundsel
- Common lambsquarters
- Common mallow
- Corn speedwell
- Cutleaf eveningprimrose
- Dandelion
- Eastern black nightshade
- Field pennycress
- Field violet
- Hairy galinsoga
- Hairy nightshade
- Henbit
- Horseweed
- Jimsonweed
- Marestail
- Perennial sowthistle
- Prickly lettuce
- Prickly sida
- Purple deadnettle
- Purslane speedwell
- Red clover
- Shepherd’s purse
- Smooth groundcherry
- Slender speedwell
- Spiny sowthistle
- Velvetleaf
- Venice mallow
- White clover
- Wild mustard
- Dissected or divided
- Wavy
Common name
- Annual bluegrass
- Annual sowthistle
- Asiatic (common) dayflower
- Barnyardgrass
- Birdsfoot trefoil
- Black medic
- Blackseed plantain
- Broadleaf dock
- Broadleaf plantain
- Buckhorn plantain
- Bull thistle
- Canada thistle
- Carpetweed
- Cheat
- Common blue violet
- Common burdock
- Common chickweed
- Common cocklebur
- Common eveningprimrose
- Common groundsel
- Common lambsquarters
- Common mallow
- Common milkweed
- Common mullein
- Common purslane
- Common ragweed
- Common waterhemp
- Common windgrass
- Common yarrow
- Corn speedwell
- Curly dock
- Cutleaf eveningprimrose
- Dandelion
- Downy brome
- Eastern black nightshade
- Entireleaf morningglory
- Fall panicum
- Field bindweed
- Field horsetail
- Field pennycress
- Field sandbur
- Field violet
- Giant foxtail
- Giant ragweed
- Green foxtail
- Hairy galinsoga
- Hairy nightshade
- Hedge bindweed
- Hemp dogbane
- Henbit
- Hoary alyssum
- Horsenettle
- Horseweed
- Ivyleaf morningglory
- Jimsonweed
- Johnsongrass
- Kochia
- Ladysthumb
- Large crabgrass
- Marestail
- Mile-a-minute
- Mouseear chickweed
- Pale smartweed
- Pennsylvania smartweed
- Perennial sowthistle
- Pitted morningglory
- Poison hemlock
- Pokeweed
- Powell amaranth
- Prickly lettuce
- Prickly sida
- Prostrate pigweed
- Prostrate spurge
- Purple deadnettle
- Purslane speedwell
- Quackgrass
- Red clover
- Redroot pigweed
- Scouringrush
- Shattercane
- Shepherd’s purse
- Slender speedwell
- Smooth crabgrass
- Smooth groundcherry
- Smooth pigweed
- Spiny sowthistle
- Spotted spurge
- Spreading dogbane
- Swamp smartweed
- Tall morningglory
- Tartary buckwheat
- Tumble pigweed
- Velvetleaf
- Venice mallow
- Vetches
- Virginia pepperweed
- Western ragweed
- White campion
- White clover
- Wild buckwheat
- Wild carrot
- Wild garlic
- Wild mustard
- Wild onion
- Yellow foxtail
- Yellow nutsedge
- Yellow rocket
Scientific name
- Abutilon theophrasti Medicus
- Achillea millefolium L.
- Allium canadense L.
- Allium vineale L.
- Amaranthus albus L.
- Amaranthus blitoides S. Wats.
- Amaranthus hybridus L.
- Amaranthus powellii S. Wats.
- Amaranthus retroflexus L.
- Amaranthus rudis L.
- Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.
- Ambrosia psilostachya DC.
- Ambrosia trifida L.
- Apera spica-venti L.
- Apocynum androsaemifolium L.
- Apocynum cannabinum L.
- Arctium minus (Hill) Bernh.
- Asclepias syriaca L.
- Barbarea vulgaris R. Br.
- Berteroa incana (L.) DC.
- Bromus secalinus L.
- Bromus tectorum L.
- Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Br.
- Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.)
- Medicus
- Cenchrus incertus M.A. Curtis
- Cerastum fontanum ssp. vulgare
- (Hartman) Greuter & Burdet
- Chamaesyce humistrata
- (Engelm. ex Gray) Small
- Chamaesyce maculata (L.)
- Small
- Chenopodium album L.
- Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.
- Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore
- Commelina communis L.
- Conium maculatum L.
- Convolvulus arvensis L.
- Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq.
- Cyperus esculentus L.
- Datura stramonium L.
- Daucus carota L.
- Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.)
- Schreb. ex Muhl.
- Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
- Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.
- Elymus repens (L.) Gould
- Equisetum arvense L.
- Equisetum hyemale L.
- Fagopyrum tatricum (L.) Gaertn.
- Galinsoga quadriradiata Cav.
- Hibiscus trionum L.
- Ipomoea hederacea L. Jacq.
- Ipomoea hederacea var.
- Integriuscula Gray
- Ipomoea lacunosa L.
- Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth
- Kochia scoparia L.
- Lactuca serriola L.
- Lamium amplexicaule L.
- Lamium purpureum L.
- Lepidium virginicum L.
- Lotus corniculatus L.
- Malva neglecta Wallr.
- Medicago lupulina L.
- Mollugo verticillata L.
- Oenothera biennis L.
- Oenothera laciniata Hill
- Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx.
- Physalis longifolia Nutt. var.
- subglabrata (Mackenzie & Bush)
- Cronq.
- Phytolacca americana L.
- Plantago lanceolata L.
- Plantago major L.
- Plantago rugelii Dcne.
- Poa annual L.
- Polygonum amphibium var. emersum Michx.
- Polygonum convolvulus L.
- Polygonum lapathifolium L.
- Polygonum pensylvanicum L.
- Polygonum perfoliatum L.
- Polygonum persicaria L.
- Portulaca oleracea L.
- Rumex crispus L.
- Rumex obtusifolius L.
- Senecio vulgaris L.
- Setaria faberi Herrm.
- Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv.
- Setaria viridis L.
- Sida spinosa L.
- Silene latifolia Poir.
- Sinapis arvensis L.
- Solanum carolinense L.
- Solanum ptycanthum Dun.
- Solanum sarrachoides Sendtner
- Sonchus asper (L.) Hill.
- Sonchus arvensis L.
- Sonchus oleraceus L.
- Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench
- Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.
- Stellaria media L. Vill.
- Taraxacum officinale Weber in Wiggers
- Thlaspi arvense L.
- Trifolium pratense L.
- Trifolium repens L.
- Verbascum thapsus L.
- Veronica arvensis L.
- Veronica filiformis Sm.
- Vicia spp.
- Viola arvensis Murr.
- Viola papilionacea Pursh
- Xanthium strumarium L.
View more of our resources for field crop farming.
Funding to place the guide information on this website was provided by:
The North Central IPM Center