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Common Name: Bermuda Grass

General Information

Cynodon dactylon is a Evergreen Perennial up to 0.30 metres tall.
It has medicinal and miscellaneous uses.

Known Hazards

Bermuda grass is reported to be photosensitizing in animals[]. Under certain environmental conditions the plant can produce hydrocyanic acid and so is potentially toxic to livestck[].
The plant is also said to cause contact dermatitis and, with its high production of pollen, can be a major cause of hayfever[, ].

Botanical References

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Range

Britain. A cosmopolitan plant, found in most tropical to warm temperate regions.

Habitat

Sandy shores in southern Britain[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a warm sunny position in a well-drained soil[]. The plant can grow in very diverse conditions of soil and moisture, withstanding drought well and also tending to eliminate other plants[]. It spreads quite rapidly, rooting at the nodes, becoming difficult to eradicate and can be a serious weed in cultivated land[]. Bermudagrass is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 9 to 429cm, an annual temperature range of 5.9 to 27.8°C, and a pH in the range of 4.3 to 8.4. Reported from the Hindustani Centre of Diversity, Bermudagrass, or cvs thereof, is reported to tolerate alkali soil conditions, disease, drought, frost, grazing, herbicide, heavy metal, heavy soil, insects, laterite, nematodes, peat, poor soil, salt, sand, atmospheric pollution, ultraviolet, virus, water-logging and weeds[]. It is unproductive in poor dry soils and is best adapted to relatively fertile, well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0-7.0, in humid areas. Plants withstand long periods of drought, as they produce little growth in dry weather[].
This species is hardy to about -10°c[].
Plants vary greatly in habit according to soil and climate, and occur in several natural strains which differ widely in size, colour (bright, yellow-green to dull blue-green), texture of stars and leaves, size of spikes, and grazing value. Most varieties are poor seeders and are propagated by their creeping stem.
Bermudagrass can form dense cover in almost pure stands, practically anywhere. Abundant as a weed along roadsides, in lawns, on sandy wastes, along sand dunes, and readily takes possession of any uncultivated area[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Bermudagrass 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 in the treatment of dropsy and secondary syphilis[]. An infusion of the root is used to stop bleeding from piles[, ].
The juice of the plant is astringent and is applied externally to fresh cuts and wounds[]. When mixed with the powder of a clove (Syzygium aromaticum), it is used as an anthelmintic[]. Internally, it is used in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and dysentery[, ]. It is also useful in the treatment of catarrhal ophthalmia[, ]. The juice is also diuretic and is used in the treatment of dropsy and anasarca[, ]. The leaf juice has also been used in the treatment of hysteria, epilepsy and insanity[, ].
The plant is a folk remedy for anasarca, calculus, cancer, carbuncles, convulsions, cough, cramps, cystitis, diarrhoea, dropsy, dysentery, epilepsy, headache, haemorrhage, hypertension, hysteria, insanity, kidneys, laxative, measles, rubella, snakebite, sores, stones, tumours, uro-genital disorders, warts, and wounds[].

Other Uses

Plants are sometimes grown as a cover for warm sunny banks and are sometimes used for lawns[, ]. They stay green even in hot and dry weather[]. Plants give complete ground cover in 4-8 weeks when planted 30-45 cm apart[]. They succeed on most soil types and requires very little mowing on poor soils[].
Valuable for soil conservation due to its long runners that root at the nodes[].
Plants are used to produce biomass. Annual productivity ranges from 4 to 52 tonnes per hectare[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring. There are almost 4,000,000 seeds per kilo[].
Division in late spring. Very simple, plants can be propagated easily from rooted sideshoots, establishing quickly when planted straight into the soil[].