OregonFlora: Cynodon dactylon

	Cynodon dactylon
	bermudagrass
Habit	Plants 5–40(50)cm tall.
Leaves	sheaths glabrous or with scattered hairs; blades 1–6(16)cm × (1)2–4(5)mm; flat or folded, glabrous or upper adaxial surface with spreading hairs.
Inflorescences	with 1 whorl of (3)4–7(9) spike-like branches 1.4–6 cm × 1–2 mm; spikelets in 2 rows on one side of each branch.
Spikelets	2–3.2 mm.
Glumes	1-veined; lower glumes 1.2–2 mm; upper glumes 1.4–2.3 mm.
Lemmas	1.9–3.1 mm, 3-veined, usually densely pubescent on the keel, sometimes pubescent on the margins; awnless.
Anthers	about 1 mm, dehiscent.
2n	=36.

	Cynodon dactylon
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Lawns, waste areas in urban areas and sandbars on rivers. 0–1200 m. Col, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout most of North America; worldwide. Exotic. This grass is commonly planted for forage, lawns, and erosion control in warm climates. It readily escapes, usually in disturbed urban settings and along transportation corridors but sometimes into more natural habitats. Cynodon dactylon is highly diverse in inflorescence branch length, branch number, and lemma hairiness.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 384 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Synonyms	Cynodon dactylon var. aridus, Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Cynodon dactylon

bermudagrass

Habit

Plants 5–40(50)cm tall.

Leaves

sheaths glabrous or with scattered hairs;

blades 1–6(16)cm × (1)2–4(5)mm; flat or folded, glabrous or upper adaxial surface with spreading hairs.

Inflorescences

with 1 whorl of (3)4–7(9) spike-like branches 1.4–6 cm × 1–2 mm;

spikelets in 2 rows on one side of each branch.

Spikelets

2–3.2 mm.

Glumes

1-veined;

lower glumes 1.2–2 mm;

upper glumes 1.4–2.3 mm.

Lemmas

1.9–3.1 mm, 3-veined, usually densely pubescent on the keel, sometimes pubescent on the margins; awnless.

Anthers

about 1 mm, dehiscent.

=36.

Cynodon dactylon

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Lawns, waste areas in urban areas and sandbars on rivers. 0–1200 m. Col, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout most of North America; worldwide. Exotic.

This grass is commonly planted for forage, lawns, and erosion control in warm climates. It readily escapes, usually in disturbed urban settings and along transportation corridors but sometimes into more natural habitats. Cynodon dactylon is highly diverse in inflorescence branch length, branch number, and lemma hairiness.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 384
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Synonyms

Cynodon dactylon var. aridus, Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon

Web links