Common Name: Bermuda Grass

General Information

Cynodon dactylon is a short-lived, prostrate, evergreen perennial grass that creeps along the ground and roots wherever a node touches the ground, quickly forming a dense mat. The erect or ascending culms are generally 5 - 45cm long, occasionally to 130 cm[, ].
The plant has a wide range of uses. Occasionally employed as a food, it is commonly used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. It is an excellent lawn grass in the tropics, where it can also be used as a ground cover plant and to prevent soil erosion.
Bermuda Grass is a fast-growing plant that spreads rapidly to form a dense mat of growth. It is difficult to eradicate and can become a serious weed in cultivated land, affecting crops such as maize, cotton, sugar cane, vineyards and plantation crops[, , ]. It is listed as a noxious weed.

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

Originally from Africa and S. Asia, it is widely naturalized in the temperate to tropical zones of Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas.

Habitat

Sandy shores in southern Britain[]. Along roadsides and in exposed rocky or sandy sites, at elevations up to 2,270 metres[]. It sometimes forms dense mats on the upper parts of beaches and near mangrove swamps[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Originally from tropical Africa and Asia, Bermuda grass has been introduced to all tropical and subtropical regions of the world and has been found to survive as far north as at 50°N in Europe and at elevations up to 4,000 metres in the Himalayas[]. It grows best where mean daily temperatures are above 24°c. Temperatures of -2 to -3°c usually kill the leaves and stems back to the ground, but the rhizomes survive these temperatures and regrowth is rapid when the weather warms up[]. Plants can survive short periods with temperatures falling to about -10°c[]. Bermuda grass is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 90 - 4,290mm[], though it is generally found in the tropics in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 600 - 1,800mm[].
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[]. Tolerant of a broad soil pH range from 4.3 - 8.4, but grows best with a soil pH above 5.5[, ].
Reported from the Hindustani Centre of Diversity, Bermuda grass, or cultivars 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[].
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

Young leaves[].

A cooling drink is made from the leaves[].

Medicinal

Bermuda grass is reported to be alterative, anabolic, antipruritic, antiseptic, aperient, astringent, cyanogenetic, demulcent, depurative, diuretic, emollient, styptic, sudorific, and vulnerary[, ].

A decoction of the whole plant is used as a treatment for conditions such as anasarca, anuria, calculus, cancer, carbuncles, convulsions, cough, cramps, cystitis, diarrhea, dropsy, dysentery, epilepsy, headache, hemorrhage, hypertension, hysteria, insanity, kidneys, laxative, measles, rubella, snakebite, sores, stomach aches, stones, tumours, urogenital disorders, warts, and wounds[, ]. It is combined with Chamaesyce hirta and used as a remedy for diarrhoea and biliousness[].

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 leaves are added to baths in order to prevent itching[]. The crushed leaves are applied to minor wounds as a styptic to stop bleeding[].
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[].

According to the Ayurveda tradition, the plant is pungent, bitter, fragrant, heating, appetizer, vulnerary, anthelmintic, antipyretic, alexiteric. It destroys foulness of breath, is useful in the treatment of leucoderma, bronchitis, piles, asthma, tumors, and enlargement of the spleen[].
According to the Unani system of medicine, the plant is bitter, sharp hot taste, good odour, laxative, brain and heart tonic, aphrodisiac, alexipharmic, emetic, emmenagogue, expectorant, carminative and useful against grippe in children, and for pains, inflammations, and toothache[].

In Homoeopathic systems of medicine, the plant is used to treat all types of bleeding and skin troubles[].

Extracts of the plant have a high phagocytic index[].
The shoot apex may produce cyanogenetic glycosides[].
In Rwanda this plant is used to treat gonorrhoea and conjunctivitis[].

Agroforestry 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 spread rapidly by means of both stolons and rhizomes, they give complete ground cover in 4 - 8 weeks when planted 30 - 45cm apart[]. They succeed on most soil types and requires very little mowing on poor soils[].
Valuable as a ground cover to bind the soil and prevent erosion due to its long runners that root at the nodes[, ].

Other Uses

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[].