Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.
Bermuda grass
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #9051)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Cynodon dactylon
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon

Species Information

General:
Perennial grass from elongate, scaly rhizomes; stems erect, 10-30 cm tall, the aerial stems decumbent and freely rooting.
Leaves:
Sheaths open, the collars and throats long-hairy; blades mostly 1.5-3 (5) mm wide, flat, short; ligules with membranous base scarcely 0.3 mm long, fringed with straight hairs 2-4 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of 4 or 5 digitate, terminal spikes up to 5 cm long; spikelets unstalked, borne in 2 rows on one side of the rachis, articulating above the glumes, usually 1-flowered; glumes about equal, narrow, 1-nerved; lemmas about 2 mm long, longer than the glumes, strongly compressed; paleas nearly as long as the lemmas, 2-nerved; rachillas prolonged and bristlelike, very occasionally bearing rudimentary second flowers; lodicules 2, more or less wedge-shaped, about 0.3 mm long.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
According to the USDA, this species is a known allelopath.
Source:  The USDA

Habitat and Range

Dry to mesic waste places in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC (Vancouver area); introduced from Eurasia and N Africa.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Capriola dactylon (L.) Kuntze
Cynodon aristiglumis Caro & Sßnchez
Cynodon incompletus auct. non Nees [misapplied]
Panicum dactylon L.