Sedges look like grasses, but if you roll the stem of sedges between your fingers you will notice they are three sided. Grass stems are round or flattened. Yellow nutsedge is native to Illinois and many parts of North America. Nutsedge is often considered troublesome when it appears in lawns. They have parallel veins with a prominent midvein.
Leaves grow rapidly in summer often appearing well above the lawn grass.
Nutsedge has a fibrous root system. Tubers develop rapidly six to eight weeks after the plants emerge usually during late July and August. Nutlets may get to be almost an inch in diameter. Unfortunately the nutlets may persist in the soil for many years. Yellow nutsedge is often an indicator of poor drainage.