Over the past few years, a new weed from South America has been making an appearance in Southern lawns, along roadsides, and in unimproved turf areas. Called skyseed, or Chevreul’s sharp lawn weed, this winter perennial was discovered in Alabama in 2012. Since then, it’s been found in many places in Alabama and Georgia, including the metro Atlanta area.

However, scientists are concerned that this is just the beginning. “We suspect it’s more widespread than what’s been reported because little is known about this weed and it’s often misidentified,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass scientist at the University of Georgia, who has conducted initial herbicide trials on skyseed.

Uncontrolled, skyseed (Chevreulia acuminata) forms a low-growing mat that can predominate the turfgrass. But less you’re looking closely, you won’t see it because it stays below the canopy of the grass until its seedheads appear. Once the tall, white flowers pop up in mid to late spring, it’s conspicuous in an expanse of lawn, says Waltz.

The risk is that we don’t know enough about this weed to predict its impact. “It should be easy to control, but we don’t know for sure because it is a perennial,” says Waltz. “As a scientist, I believe we should prevent the spread because we’re not sure about its long-term effects on the eco-system. Getting it early is prudent.” 

How To Identify This New Weed

Part of the challenge with skyseed is proper identification. “Get on your hands and knees and look at it up close,” says Waltz. “Look for the true signs so you get a good ID.”

Skyseed appears in many places, including well-maintained lawns of bermudagrass, Centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass. It’s believed to be from the Asteraceae family, the same family as sunflowers, says Waltz.

The plant creeps along the surface of the ground and has leaves that are hairy on the lower surfaces. The white quarter-sized flowers are at the top of 4 to 6-inch long stalks, and they typically appear in April or May. Like dandelions, the seeds are attached to bristles that help them disperse on the wind. By early summer, the weed turns brown, leaving a patchy circular area on the lawn, which often is mistaken for disease, says Waltz.

How To Get Rid of Skyseed

Like other weeds such as lawn burweed, your goal should be to treat this weed before it produces its springtime seedheads to help prevent its spread. Use a three-way broadleaf weed herbicide containing 2,4-D, according to label instructions, or use atrazine for centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass.

However, note that because this is a new weed in Southern lawns and has not been researched extensively yet, you will not see skyseed listed yet on herbicide labels, says Waltz. It also is not yet known if a single application of herbicide will effectively control an established mat of skyseed, so stay tuned as researchers continue to learn about this species that is new to Southern lawns.