Cudweed
Gamochaeta / Gnaphalium species
Turn a leaf over: the pale, woolly underside is a useful clue. Confirm the species before matching older label names.
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · source · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed at reduced size; card crops fit the layout.
What to look for
- A low rosette may have green upper leaf surfaces and a noticeably pale, woolly underside.
- As plants grow, leafy stems carry small clustered flower heads rather than big daisy-like flowers.
- Purple or pinkish florets may be visible in some species; appearance changes as heads mature.
Confirm it before you treat it
Photograph both sides of a leaf and the whole flowering plant. “Cudweed” describes several related plants, including native lookalikes. The photograph is purple cudweed, Gamochaeta purpurea, as one example; it does not identify every woolly rosette in Australian turf.
What to do next
- Lift scattered rosettes with their roots while the ground allows clean removal, before mature heads shed seed.
- Inspect damp or open turf and address avoidable thinning, while keeping mowing and nutrition suitable for your grass.
- For repeated or widespread plants, confirm the identification and label target before treatment. Review the patch again after control and repair any bare openings.
Conditions matter more than dates.
Disturbed, damp sites and openings in the canopy deserve inspection. A pale underside helps identification but does not by itself diagnose a drainage fault or prove herbicide suitability.
Scout small rosettes in cool or damp growing periods. Purple cudweed commonly flowers spring–summer in south-eastern references; other species and warmer sites differ. Plan around actual growth rather than a single national month.
Are all white-backed leaves cudweed?
No. Use the whole plant, flower arrangement and leaf detail. If the plant is beside a native planting or the identity is unclear, send photos before treatment.
Inspect the leaves and flowering growth.
Compare several features on a fresh plant before choosing a treatment.
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0. Resized from original; no other edits.
Similar problems. Different solutions.
Plantains
Ribbed leaves and upright spikes help separate narrowleaf plantain from broadleaf plantain—and make a better product match.
Identify & find a solution ↗
Catsear / flatweed
A hairy rosette and branched yellow-flowered stalks.
Identify & find a solution ↗
Common chickweed
Small opposite leaves and tiny split-petal flowers identify a spreading weed that often fills damp lawn gaps.
Identify & find a solution ↗Reviewed 11 October 2026 · Turfmate. Seasonal windows are indicative planning guidance, not measured outbreak or prevalence data.
Technical sources & image credits
- Plants of South Eastern NSW: purple cudweed
- VicFlora: Gamochaeta purpurea
- Lawn Solutions Australia: lawn rosette weeds
- Bow & Arrow Australian product label
- Cudweed — Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · source · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed at reduced size; card crops fit the layout.
- Plantains — Photo: Stefan.lefnaer · source · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed at reduced size; card crops fit the layout.
- Catsear / flatweed — Photo: Tony Rebelo · source · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed at reduced size; card crops fit the layout.
- Common chickweed — Photo: Kaldari · source · CC0. Displayed at reduced size; card crops fit the layout.
Photos support identification and may have been taken outside Australia. Appearance varies with species, mowing and conditions. A Turfmate product link does not imply endorsement by a photographer or source.