Cynodon dactylon

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Shoots, Stem, Seeds, Grain, Root, Cereal, Rhizome

The primary edible part is the underground rhizome system. Rhizomes should be harvested from uncontaminated ground, thoroughly cleaned, and dried before use. Once dried, they can be roasted and used as a tea or coffee-like infusion, or ground into a starchy ingredient for emergency-style preparations. The roasted rhizomes develop a cereal-like character at lighter roasts and a coffee-adjacent bitterness at deeper roasts. For a beverage, crush or coarsely grind the roasted rhizomes, simmer briefly, and strain well. The main practical challenge is removing soil: soak and scrub rhizomes repeatedly until wash water runs clear and no grit remains between fingers, then dry completely before roasting. Usable rhizomes can be gathered year-round where the ground is not frozen, with best collecting when soils are moist enough to release runners without snapping. Avoid harvesting from lawns, sports fields, roadsides, or anywhere exposed to herbicides, insecticides, fertilisers, dog traffic, heavy metals, or fuel contamination. Those with grass pollen allergies should exercise caution around flowering stands.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It grows in warm temperate and tropical places. They are found in lawns and in waste places throughout the Philippines. It is a weed of crops in many countries. It grows better on fertile soils. It grows in wetlands. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-12. Tasmanian Herbarium. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Balkans, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Caribbean, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Central Asia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Rotuma, Rwanda, Sahel, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Slovakia, Socotra, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Helena, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

How to Identify

A grass with stems which lie over and are creeping. It has slender scaly rhizomes or underground stems as well as stolons or runners. They branch and root at the nodes. It grows 5-15 cm high and can spread very widely. There are hairs in two rows on opposite sides of the stem. Erect short flowering branches are usually less than 20 cm high. The leaves are about 1.5 to 3 cm long. The flower spikes are 5 cm long, spreading and green or purple. They spread out like fingers on a hand. The small flower spikes are overlapping and about 1.5 mm long.

How to Grow

Plants grow from sections of the creeping stems.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse, barely covering it; germination should occur within 2 weeks. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough, grow on in the greenhouse through their first winter, and plant out in late spring. There are approximately 4,000,000 seeds per kilo. Division in late spring is very simple — rooted sideshoots establish quickly when planted directly into the soil.

Medicinal Uses

Bermuda grass is reported to be alterative, anabolic, antiseptic, aperient, astringent, cyanogenetic, demulcent, depurative, diuretic, emollient, sudorific, and vulnerary. A decoction of the root is used as a diuretic for dropsy and secondary syphilis. A root infusion is used to stop bleeding from piles. The plant juice is astringent and applied externally to fresh cuts and wounds; mixed with clove powder (Syzygium aromaticum), it is used as an anthelmintic. Internally, it treats chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, and catarrhal ophthalmia. The juice is also diuretic and used for dropsy and anasarca. Leaf juice has been used for hysteria, epilepsy, and insanity. The plant is a folk remedy for a wide range of conditions including calculus, cancer, carbuncles, convulsions, cough, cramps, cystitis, headache, haemorrhage, hypertension, measles, rubella, snakebite, tumours, urogenital disorders, warts, and wounds. Traditional use also covers skin diseases and diabetes. Recent studies suggest potential benefits for PCOS and as an anti-atherosclerotic agent. Extracts have been shown to accelerate healing of skin infections and cuts; the plant has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties used for rheumatism and skin diseases; its diuretic action supports treatment of urinary tract infections and kidney stones; it has been used for blood sugar and cholesterol management; it is used to treat menorrhagia and menstrual irregularities; and it supports treatment of diarrhoea, vomiting, and constipation. Cynodon dactylon can cause seasonal allergic reactions including rhinitis and asthma. Most evidence comes from animal or in vitro studies rather than robust human clinical trials.

Other Uses

Bermuda grass thrives in full sun, heat, and open ground, tolerating drought once established and responding vigorously to water and nitrogen. It tolerates trampling and frequent cutting. It occurs in warm-temperate to tropical regions globally, commonly in disturbed habitats such as lawns, road verges, field edges, irrigated ditches, and compacted lots. Under mowing it stays low; as a plant it forms dense mats with flowering stems rising above the leaf canopy. To establish, plant plugs, sprigs, or sod in sun, keep moist until rooted, then reduce irrigation. It spreads aggressively via runners and does not respect planting boundaries. Fragments of rhizomes and stolons readily regenerate, making it difficult to eradicate. It is wind-pollinated, producing pollen that contributes to seasonal allergies. Plants provide complete ground cover in 4–8 weeks when planted 30–45 cm apart. They succeed on most soil types and require very little mowing on poor soils. The long runners that root at the nodes make it valuable for soil conservation and erosion control. Plants are also used to produce biomass, with annual productivity ranging from 4 to 52 tonnes per hectare.

Cynodon dactylon, commonly known as Bermuda grass or as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia, and much of Asia and has been introduced to the Americas. Contrary to its common name, Cynodon dactylon is not native to Bermuda but is an abundant invasive species there. In Bermuda, it has been known as crabgrass, also a name for Digitaria sanguinalis. Other names include dhoob, dūrvā grass, ethana grass, dubo, dog grass, dog's tooth grass, Bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, arugampul, grama, wiregrass, and scutch grass. Hybrid species of the grass are taxonomically known as Cynodon dactylon × transvaalensis. These interspecific hybrids are the result of cross-pollination between different cultivars. Hybrid cultivars of the grass are commonly developed by selecting individual plants with desirable traits from seeded or vegetatively propagated stands. These cultivars are typically triploids, meaning they contain three sets of chromosomes.

Other Information

Minor. It is cultivated.

Notes

There are 8-10 Cynodon species. They are in the tropics. It is commonly used as a lawn grass in the tropics.

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