Kikuyugrass in 3D

Warm seasonZones 9 to 11Cenchrus clandestinus

Parts are enlarged so you can see the clues

Getting the grass ready

Parts are enlarged so you can see the clues

Tap a number on the grass, or choose a part here.

Parts of Kikuyugrass

What to notice

The very end of a blade can look pointed, round, or like the front of a tiny boat. This small shape helps tell grasses apart.

On this grassA flat, moderately broad blade narrows to a pointed tip.

Species details and sources

An aggressive, fast-repairing warm-season grass built for mild coastal climates, especially Southern California lawns.

Real photo

Quick way to spot it

Photos worth taking

What this model does not show

Blade width, hair density, and stolon flattening vary with mowing, maturity, and growing conditions. Use diagnostic exaggeration only after reference-photo review.
White anthers are most obvious under cool, humid morning conditions. They must be an optional flowering state, not a permanent canopy feature.
Flowers stay inside the terminal leaf sheath, so the model does not show a raised seedhead.

Scientific name: Cenchrus clandestinus
Blade: Medium-Coarse (4-6mm)
Tip & shape: Flat, folded in bud, blunt to boat-shaped tip on flattened stems
Surface: Coarse, slightly hairy
Spreads by: Aggressive spreading (thick stolons and rhizomes)