Grayish-green, up to 4 inches long, shaped like arrowheads. Nearly entire to finely toothed and bearing soft fine hairs. Lower leaves stalked, upper reduced and sessile. A single plant can send out 400 shoots in a year.
Roots develop to depth of several feet, making control difficult.
It spreads by seed and root. Integrated pest management is the best method of controlling this weed. Dense stands of perennial grasses will out-compete whitetop. Pasture grasses will slow spread if not over grazed. Growing small grains in infested fields will suppress whitetop once a canopy is formed.