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LIFE CYCLE:  Summer annual; reproduces by seed; begins germination in early spring and dies during autumn.

MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS*:  Prostrate growth habit; leaves are alternate, oblong, narrowed at base and pointed at tip; tiny white flowers found where leaf and stem join (A); young seedlings often confused with crabgrass; stems form a dense mat from small tap root with each node covered with thin papery sheath (B).

LOCATION:  Heavy traffic areas (compact soil), along driveways or roads, athletic fields.