Which weed has creeping rhizomes that are yellowish to white, root at the nodes, and may extend 2-6 ft in length?

• A. Common yarrow
• B. Wood sorrel
• C. Quack grass
• D. Yellow nutsedge

Answer: (C)

Creeping underground stems (rhizomes) and how a weed spreads from them are key clues for identifying persistent turf invaders. The described plant has rhizomes that run beneath the soil, are yellowish to white, root at the joints (nodes), and can extend several feet. This combination of long underground runners and node-rooting is classic for quackgrass. Its rhizomes let it push into a turf from connected underground networks, making it very difficult to eradicate because pieces left behind can regrow.

Common yarrow grows as a clump with fibrous roots and doesn’t rely on long underground runners to the same extent, so its spread pattern isn’t described by those rhizome traits. Wood sorrel spreads mainly by aboveground creeping stems (stolons) and seeds, not by long underground rhizomes rooted at nodes. Yellow nutsedge does spread via underground structures, including tubers and rhizomes, but the long, pale underground runners with node rooting described here are more characteristic of quackgrass, a perennial grass known for that underground network.