In turf, this annual, or biennial, may grow from several inches to nearly a foot in height. Along roadsides and in pastures it is not uncommon to see horseweed towering from six to eight feet. It grows upright, with narrow, hairy leaves that vary in length from one to five inches. These leaves are pointed, sometimes toothed along the margins and scattered along a tough, woody stem. Horseweed seldom produces great numbers of plants within a given turf area, but those that are present become obvious and unsightly. The small ray-type flowers, borne so abundantly in waste places, will not mature in turf.