Cynodon dactylon

Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass, probably the best-known of all grasses unless you consider wheat, rice, and corn!

The leaves of Cynodon dactylon.

The palm tree (digitate) shape of the seedheads.

A pink Cynodon dactylon seadhead.

The sawtooth edges of the branches show the tiny spikelets extending downward.

This view shows that the spikelets are in a double row, a "seed" (spikelet) on each side of the narrow branch.

How to Identify Bermudagrass

  Cynodon dactylon is one of the most common lawn grasses. The palm-like seedheads arise from a single point (this arrangement is called digitate). This grass is short, reaching from ankles to knees at most.

Similar Species

  The many species of genus Digitaria look a bit like Bermudagrass, many with narrow branches at the top. However, for the Arizona Digitaria species, the branches usually extend upwards rather than sideways and do not extend from a single point (are not digitate).