Weeds in Mississippi
What are the different types of weeds?
Weeds are classified as grasses or broadleaf weeds. There are some plants that closely resemble the grasses, and are often mistakenly called grasses, but are not true grasses. These include the lilies, sedges, and rushes.
Many plants, including weeds, are classified according to the lifecycle. So, weeds are either annual, biennial or perennial. Annual weeds complete the life cycle in 1 year. This means plants emerge from seed, grow vegetatively, flower, and produce seed in less than 12 months. This cycle may occur in winter or summer, depending on the plant species. Biennial weeds need 2 years to complete the life cycle. Often the biennial weed spends the first year of its two year cycle as a small cluster of leaves. After exposure to cold winter temperatures, the reproductive mechanism is triggered, flowers and seeds are produced. Perennial weeds persist for more than 2 years. It may be woody tissue that remains above ground or it can be a rootstock that survives in the soil and regrows new vegetation each year. Some perennial weeds require many years of growth before seed production occurs. Most perennial weeds can be spread by vegetative plant parts as well as seed.