See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/339324814

Lecture 2.Classification of Weeds

Presentation · February 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25918.23367

CITATIONS READS
0 4,255

1 author:

Surinder Singh Rana

CSK HPKV Palampur
588 PUBLICATIONS 1,104 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Adhoc_GOI-469-25 View project

Weed Management View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Surinder Singh Rana on 18 February 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Classification of Weeds

Surinder Singh Rana

Department of Agronomy,
CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur 176062, HP, India
Email: ranass_dee@yahoo.com
 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS

There are at least 450 families of flowering plants and

well over 350,000 different species. Only about 3,000 of
them have been used by humans for food.
Fewer than 300 species have been domesticated, and of
these, there are about 20 that stand between humans and
starvation.
There are at least 100 species of great regional or local
importance, but only a few major species dominate the
human food supply.
Only about 15 plants provide most of the food that
humans have consumed for many generations.
Twelve plant families include 68% of the 200 species that
are the most important world weeds (Holm, 1978).
Families of the World’s Worst Weeds (Holm, 1978)

Family Number of species Percent of total

Poaceae 44 27 43 68
Cyperaceae 12
Asteraceae 32
Polygonaceae 8
Amaranthaceae 7
Brassicaceae 7
Luguminosae 6
Convolvulaceae 5
Euphorbiaceae 5
Chenopodiaceae 4
Malvaceae 4
Solanaceae 4
Total 138
 I. Phylogenetic relationships

Weeds are classified by taxonomists and weed

scientists the same way as all other plants and
species based on phylogenetic (from the Greek phylo
or phulon, meaning “race” or “tribe,” plus the Greek
gen meaning “be born of” or “become”)
gen,
relationships, or a plant’s ancestry.
Phylogenetic keys to plant species, based on ancestry
and ancestral similarity, include division,
subdivision, class, family, genus, and species.
 II. Based on life span

Annuals Biennuals Perennials

• Monsoon annual • Simple

• Winter annual perennials
• Ephemeral: • Bulbous
spring, desert, perennials
and weedy • Corm
perennials
• Creeping
perennials:
Rhizome,
Stolon, Roots,
Tubers
 Weed Classification – Life Cycle

Annuals
Complete their life cycle
from seed to seed in less
than 12 months Velvetleaf

Giant foxtail Cocklebur

 Summer Annuals
Seeds germinate in spring
Flower in mid to late summer
Produce seed in late summer or
fall, then die
Similar growing season to corn
and soybean Lambsquarters

E.g., lambsquarters, foxtails, Large crabgrass

crabgrass, purslane,
waterhemp
 Winter Annuals
Pennycress
Germinate in late summer or
fall
Dormant over winter
Flower and produce seed in
mid to late spring
Die in summer
E.g., shepherd’s purse,
chickweed, pennycress,
speedwells

Chickweed
 Biennials
Complete life cycle in two
years
Germinate and form basal
rosette first year, remain
vegetative and store food for
winter Musk thistle

Wild carrot Wild parsnip

 Biennials
Flower, produce seed, and die during
second growing season
Need undisturbed soil for at least two
years
E.g., musk thistle, wild carrot, wild Musk thistle
parsnip, garlic mustard

Wild carrot Wild parsnip

 Perennials (herbaceous)
Live for more than two years
Simple: produce a taproot,
spread only by seed
E.g., Dandelion, broadleaf
plantain Broadleaf plantain

Creeping: can reproduce by

buds, rhizomes, tubers, bulbs,
and seed
E.g., Quackgrass, nutsedge, leafy
spurge Yellow nutsedge
 III. Based on ecological affinities

a. Wetland weeds, e.g. Ammannia baccifera,

Eclipta alba
b. Garden land weeds (Irrigated lands), e.g.
Trianthema portulacastrum, Digera arvensis
c. Dry lands weeds, e.g. Tribulus terrestris,
Argemone mexicana
 IV. Based on soil type (Edaphic)

(a) Weeds of black cotton soil: These are often

closely allied to those that grow in dry condition. Eg.,
Aristolochia bracteata
(b) Weeds of red soils: They are like the weeds of
garden lands consisting of various classes of plants.
Eg. Commelina benghalensis
(c) Weeds of light, sandy or loamy soils:
Weeds that occur in soils having good drainage. Eg.
Leucas aspera
(d) Weeds of laterite soils: Eg. Lantana
camara, Spergula arvensis
 V. Based on place of occurrence

(a) Weeds of crop lands: The majority of weeds

infests the cultivated lands and cause hindrance to the
farmers for successful crop production. Eg. Phalaris
minor in wheat
(b) Weeds of pasture lands: Weeds found in pasture
/ grazing grounds. EgEg. Indigofera enneaphylla
(c) Weeds of waste places: Corners of fields, margins
of channels etc., where weeds grow in profusion. Eg.
Gynandropsis pentaphylla, Calotropis gigantea
(d) Weeds of playgrounds, road-sides: They are
usually hardy, prostrate perennials, capable of
withstanding any amount of trampling. Eg.
Alternanthera echinata, Tribulus terestris
 VI. Based on Origin

(a) Indigenous weeds: All the native weeds of the

country are coming under this group and most of the
weeds are indigenous. Eg. Acalypha indica, Abutilon
indicum
(b) Introduced or Exotic weeds: These are the
weeds introduced from other countries. These weeds
are normally troublesome and control becomes
difficult. Eg. Parthenium hysterophorus, Phalaris
minor, Acanthospermum hispidum.
 VII. Based on cotyledon number

Based on number of cotyledons it possess it can be

classified as dicots and monocots.
(a) Monocots Eg. Panicum flavidum, Echinochloa
colona
(b) Dicots Eg. Crotalaria verucosa, Indigofera
viscose
 Weed Classification – Cotyledon
number/Morphology
Monocotyledon – one
cotyledon or one
embryonic leaf
Grasses, sedges, rushes

Dicotyledon - two
cotyledons
“Broadleaf” plants
 VIII. Based on soil pH

(a) Acidophile – Acid soil weeds eg. Rumex

acetosella
(b) Basophile – Saline & alkaline soil weeds eg.
Taraxacum sp.
(c) Neutrophile – Weeds of neutral soils eg Acalypha
indica
 IV. Based on morphology

This is the most widely used classification by the weed scientists.

(a) Grasses: All the weeds come under the family Poaceae are
called as grasses which are characteristically having long narrow
spiny leaves. The examples are Echinocloa colonum, Cynodon
dactylon.
(b) Sedges: The weeds belonging to the family Cyperaceae come
under this group. The leaves are mostly from the base having
modified stem with or without tubers. The examples are Cyperus
rotundus, Fimbrystylis miliaceae.
(c) Broad-leaved weeds: This is the major group of weeds as all
other family weeds come under this except that is discussed earlier.
All dicotyledon weeds are broad-leaved weeds. The examples are
Flavaria australacica, Digera arvensis, Tridax procumbens
(d) Filamentous, such as Chara Zeylanica, Nitella hyalina
X. Based on nature of stem (development
of bark tissue)

Based on development of bark tissues on their

stems and branches, weeds are classified as
(a) Woody weeds: Weeds include shrubs and under
shrubs and are collectively called brush weeds. Eg.
Lantana camera, Prosopis juliflora
(b) Semi-woody weeds: eg. Croton sparsiflorus
(c) Herbaceous weeds: Weeds have green,
succulent stems are of most common occurrence
around us. Eg. Amaranthus viridis
 XI. According to nature of stem

a. Erect: Stem of such weeds stands upright and does not require
any support, e.g. Chenopodium album, Panicum repens,
Melilotus sp. etc.
b. Prostrate: Those weeds instead of being erect have short
internodes that bear a crown of leaves borne directly on a root,
e.g. Eleusine indica, Digitaria sangunalis, Portulaca oleracea
etc.
c. Twining: Those weeds, stem will round the support e.g. Cuscuta
sp., Ipomoea quamoclit etc..
d. Trailing: Such weeds stems spread on ground, e.g. Convolvulus
arvensis, Ipomea pandurata, Citrallus vulgaris etc.
e. Runner: Such weeds stem grow horizontally along the ground.
Usually there is development of roots at the nodes of stem, e.g.
Cynodon dactylon, Ipomoea bilobba, Launia asplenifolia etc.
 XII. Based on specificity

a. Poisonous weeds, e.g. Datura fastuosa, D. stramonium and D. metal

are poisonous to animals and human beings. The berries of Withania
somnifera and seeds of Abrus precatorius are poisonous.
b. Parasitic weeds
1. Total root parasite – Orabanche cernua on Tobacco
2. Partial root parasite - Striga lutea on sugarcane and sorghum
3. Total stem parasite - Cuscuta chinensis on leucerne and onion
4. Partial stem parasite - Loranthus longiflorus on mango and other trees.
c. Aquatic weeds:
1. Submersed weeds: Eg. Utricularia stellaris, Ceratophyllum
demersum.
2. Emersed weeds: Eg. Nelumbium speciosum, Jussieua repens.
3. Marginal weeds: Typha, Polygonum, Cephalanthus, Scirpus, etc.
4. Floating weeds: Eg. Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Salvinia,
Nymphaea pubescens.
XIII. Based on economic importance

Absolute weeds: Weeds which have no economic

value and growing out of their proper place are called
absolute weeds i.e. Euphorbia hirta, Amaranthus
spinosus, Anagallis arvensis etc.
Relative weeds: Weeds which have some economic
importance but are called weeds because these are
growing out of their proper place i.e. Saccharum
munja and Typha latifolia are used in cottage
industry and Phalaris, Avena ludoviciana, Cynodon
dactylon etc. can be used as fodders.
 XIV. According to association

A. Season bound weeds (Monsoon annuals,

winter annuals, summer annuals and
multiseason annuals)
B. Crop bound weeds or parasitic weeds (total
parasitic weeds, semi
semi-parasitic
parasitic weeds and non
non-
parasitic weeds)
C. Crop associated weeds:
i) Need for specific microclimate
ii) Mimicry
iii) Contamination of crop seeds
XV. According to the site of predominance

i) Obligate Weeds: Those species of weeds which

grow primarily in the cultivated land and never or
rarely in the wild form, e.g. Chenopodium album,
Anagallis arvensis.
ii) Facultative weeds:
weeds Those weed species that
grow primarily in uncultivated land, e.g. Argemone
mexicana, Euphorbia hirta, Opuntia sp. The
facultative weeds are also called “apophytes”
 XVI. ACCORDING TO HABITAT

On the basis of habitat weeds are classified broadly in two groups:

A. Terrestrial weeds: These weeds are found in upland soil conditions other than water logged
condition.
i) Weeds of cultivated crops: These weeds grow mainly in cultivated crops like
Chenopodium album, Echinochloa spp, Phalaris minor etc.
ii) Orchard weeds: The microclomate of orchards being different than the cultivated crop
field due to shade, humidity and excessive soil moisture and some of the weed species like
Cannabis sativa, Euphorbia geniculata, Ageragtum conyzoides, Oxalis corniculata etc.
find this type of habitat congenial for their growth and become troublesome.
iii) Weeds of Lawns and Parks: A large number of annual and perennial weeds are found
in lawns and parks and deprive the natural beauty. Some common examples are Imperata
cylindrica, Eleusine indica, Desmodium triforum, Setaria intermedia, Medicago
denticulata, Poa annua etc.
B. Aquatic weeds:
i) Floating: (a) Free floating, e.g. Eichornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes
(b) Rooted floating, e.g. Trapa bispinosa, Ludwigia adscendens
ii) Submerged, e.g. Hydrilla verticillata
iii) Emerged, e.g. Typha elephantina, Sagittaria sagittifolia
iv) Amphibious, e.g. Ranunculus aquatilis, Scirpus supinus
 XVII. Based on occurrence

A. Ruderals-
adj. Colonizing or thriving in areas that have been
disturbed, as by fire or cultivation.
n. A species, especially a plant, that colonizes or
thrives in disturbed areas.
B. Agrestals-
Agrestals are plant species adapted to stands with
frequent soil disturbance.
adj (Agriculture) (of uncultivated plants such as
weeds) growing on cultivated land
View publication stats

References

Chandrasekaran B., Annadural K. and Somasundaram E.

2010. A Textbook of Agronomy, New Age International (P)
Limited, Publishers, New Delhi.
Rana SS and MC Rana. 2016. Principles and Practices of
Weed Management. Department of Agronomy, College of
Agriculture, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya,
Vishvavidyalaya
Palampur, 138 pages.
Rao VS. 2000. Principles of Weed Science. Oxford & IBH.
Zimdahl Robert L. 2007. Fundamentals of Weed Science,
Academic Press (an imprint of Elsevier)
Naidu V.S.G.R., Yaduraju N. T., Gogoi, A.K. (Eds.) 2005.
Weeds that Heal. National Research Centre for Weed Science,
Maharajpur, Adhartal, Jabalpur, India. pp 120.