Field Madder

Sherardia arvensis

Field Madder is a winter annual broadleaf weed that is also commonly called Blue Field Madder or its scientific name, Sherardia arvensis.

Identify

Whorled

Upright

Elliptical

Field Madder is a low-growing broadleaf weed with square stems. Its low-growth profile typically forms mats that weave into grass and lawns. Field Madder typically produces four to six elliptical leaves per node with sharply pointed tips. These leaves grow in a whorled pattern around the stem. Field Madder reproduces by seeds, which are produced in pink to light-purplish flowers forming at the tip of the stem.

Life Cycle

This broadleaf weed thrives in residential lawns, waste areas and along roadsides and ditches. It can also grow in thinned-out grass in lawns receiving little or no landscaping maintenance. Field Madder can be found in various regions of the south, ranging from the Piedmont in the southern United States to as far west as Texas.

Control

Sherardia arvensis is difficult to control via cultural methods because it grows relatively low to the ground in mats interwoven with turf grass. Although low mowing can prevent flowers from forming and, therefore, prevent this broadleaf weed from spreading in your lawn, selective weed control methods are most effective.