Cynodon Dactylon

 

COMMON NAME  : couch grass , kweekgrass
BOTANICAL NAME-Cynodon dactylon
FAMILY : Poaceae (grass family)

DESCRIPTION-

This well-known grass is adaptable and is found almost world-wide, from deserts to the lawn in  garden and most commen in Dwarka campus.
This is a perennial grass, forming thick mats by means of stolons and rhizomes (Gibbs Russell et al. 1991). The culms (stems) take root at the lower nodes. The leaf blade is flattened with a sharp tip, and is hairy or glabrous (hairless). The leaf sheath is round and glabrous; the ligule has ring of hairs or a short membrane. The inflorescence consists of  slender spikes,arranged terminally on the axis. The spikelets are sessile and without an awn. Flowering time is from March to September.

USES-

• Cynodon dactylon plays an important role in conservation, because it prevents soil erosion. 

• It provides good grazing, is very useful as a lawn grass and is recommended for the protection of waterways. 

• In traditional medicine it is used for indigestion and the treatment of wounds. 

• According to an old Venda tradition, it is used in the fermentation process to make beer sour.