Axonopus affinis Chase, common carpetgrass 
DESCRIPTION 
Warm-season , stoloniferous perennial. 
Height: 8 to 20 inches. 
Leaf blade : Usually flat or folded; 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide; fine 
hair along margin near base ; rounded or slightly pointed ; 
reddish or purplish near maturity. 
Ligule : Minute membrane. 
Seedhead: Usually 3 slender racemes 1-1/2 to 4 inches long, 
2 at summit and 1, rarely 2, below. 
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 
In southern Florida, stays green all year. Elsewhere, becomes 
dormant early in fall and starts growth in spring. Produces 
seedheads and stolons during active growth period. Reproduces 
from stolons and from seed. Pure stands are common. 
DISTRIBUTION 
Throughout South from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas 
and Arkansas. 
SITE ADAPTATION 
Adapted to clays, sands, mucks, and peats. Most commonly 
found on slightly acid sandy to sandy loam soils that have a 
favorable soil-moisture relationship. 
USE AND MANAGEMENT 
Common carpetgrass is grazed all year by livestock. It is a 
managed pasture grass in some localities. It is also used on recre- 
ational areas such as campgrounds, parking lots, baseball fields, 
and picnic areas. 
For maximum production and most efficient harvest by live- 
stock, grazing should be rotated about every 30 to 40 days and no 
more than 50 percent of current year’s growth by weight grazed 
off. A 2- to 3-inch stubble height is a good gage of proper use. 
Fertilization is not profitable on all sites. 
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