Cynodon dactylon
Encyclopedia
Cynodon dactylon also known as Dūrvā Grass, Bermuda Grass, Dubo, Dog's Tooth Grass, Bahama Grass, Devil's Grass, Couch Grass, Indian Doab, Arugampul, Grama, and Scutch Grass, is a grass
native to north and east Africa
, Asia
and Australia
and southern Europe
. Although it is not native to Bermuda
, it is an abundant invasive species
there. It is presumed to have arrived in North America from Bermuda, resulting in its common name.
The blades are a grey-green colour and are short, usually 2 – long with rough edges. The erect stems can grow 1 – tall. The stems are slightly flattened, often tinged purple in colour. The seed
heads are produced in a cluster of 2–6 spikes together at the top of the stem, each spike 2 – long. It has a deep root system; in drought situations with penetrable soil, the root system can grow to over 2 m deep, though most of the root mass is less than 60 cm under the surface. The grass creeps along the ground and root wherever a node touches the ground, forming a dense mat. C. dactylon reproduces through seeds, through runners and rhizomes. Growth begins at temperatures above 15 °C (59 °F) with optimum growth between 24 to 37 °C (75.2 to 98.6 F); in winter the grass becomes dormant and turns brown. Growth is promoted by full sun and retarded by full shade, e.g., close to tree trunks.
C. dactylon is widely cultivated in warm climates all over the world between about 30° south and 30° north latitude, and that get between 625 – of rainfall a year (or less, if irrigation is available). It is also found in the U.S. mostly in the southern half of the country and in warm climates. It is fast growing and tough, making it popular and useful for sports fields, as when damaged it will recover quickly. It is a highly desirable turf grass in warm temperate climates, particularly for those regions where its heat and drought tolerance enable it to survive where few other grasses do. It has a relatively coarse-bladed form with numerous cultivar
s selected for different turf requirements. It is also highly aggressive, crowding out most other grasses and invading other habitats, and has become a hard-to-eradicate weed
in some areas. This weedy nature leads some gardeners to give it the name of "devil
grass".
Bermuda grass has been cultivated on saline soils in California
's Central Valley which are too salt-damaged to support agricultural crops; it was successfully irrigated
with saline water and used to graze cattle
.
This grass is given significant importance in Hinduism
due to its medicinal values and dedicated especially to Lord Ganesha
.
, and is reported to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties, and has been suggested for treatment of urinary tract infections, prostatitis
, syphilis
, and dysentery
. Additional research is being conducted on C. dactylon involving its glycemic potential, which is involved in the treatment of diabetes. In laboratory rats treated with the ethanolic extract of defatted C. dactylon, hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic results were observed on the blood glucose levels of the tested population. Test populations showed nearly a 50% drop in blood glucose levels when the proper dosage was administered. This suggests the potential for Cynodon dactylon to become an alternative to current diabetes medications.
Used in traditional cultures for toothache & amibiasis(dysentry).
Bermudagrass is one of the most sun loving warm season lawn and pasture grasses. Bermuda can be easily planted from grass seed and provides a good "medium plus" turfgrass lawn in Southern areas. Bermuda turf requires a moderate amount of lawn grass care, maintenance and mowing.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
native to north and east Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Although it is not native to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, it is an abundant invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
there. It is presumed to have arrived in North America from Bermuda, resulting in its common name.
The blades are a grey-green colour and are short, usually 2 – long with rough edges. The erect stems can grow 1 – tall. The stems are slightly flattened, often tinged purple in colour. The seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
heads are produced in a cluster of 2–6 spikes together at the top of the stem, each spike 2 – long. It has a deep root system; in drought situations with penetrable soil, the root system can grow to over 2 m deep, though most of the root mass is less than 60 cm under the surface. The grass creeps along the ground and root wherever a node touches the ground, forming a dense mat. C. dactylon reproduces through seeds, through runners and rhizomes. Growth begins at temperatures above 15 °C (59 °F) with optimum growth between 24 to 37 °C (75.2 to 98.6 F); in winter the grass becomes dormant and turns brown. Growth is promoted by full sun and retarded by full shade, e.g., close to tree trunks.
Cultivation and uses
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s selected for different turf requirements. It is also highly aggressive, crowding out most other grasses and invading other habitats, and has become a hard-to-eradicate weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
in some areas. This weedy nature leads some gardeners to give it the name of "devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
grass".
Bermuda grass has been cultivated on saline soils in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's Central Valley which are too salt-damaged to support agricultural crops; it was successfully irrigated
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
with saline water and used to graze cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
.
This grass is given significant importance in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
due to its medicinal values and dedicated especially to Lord Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
.
Use in Alternative Medicine
Cynodon dactylon has been studied at the University of Allahabad in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and is reported to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties, and has been suggested for treatment of urinary tract infections, prostatitis
Prostatitis
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland, in men. A prostatitis diagnosis is assigned at 8% of all urologist and 1% of all primary care physician visits in the United States.-Classification:...
, syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, and dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
. Additional research is being conducted on C. dactylon involving its glycemic potential, which is involved in the treatment of diabetes. In laboratory rats treated with the ethanolic extract of defatted C. dactylon, hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic results were observed on the blood glucose levels of the tested population. Test populations showed nearly a 50% drop in blood glucose levels when the proper dosage was administered. This suggests the potential for Cynodon dactylon to become an alternative to current diabetes medications.
Used in traditional cultures for toothache & amibiasis(dysentry).
Bermudagrass is one of the most sun loving warm season lawn and pasture grasses. Bermuda can be easily planted from grass seed and provides a good "medium plus" turfgrass lawn in Southern areas. Bermuda turf requires a moderate amount of lawn grass care, maintenance and mowing.
Names
Cynodon dactylon has different names in various languages..- Sanskrit : Bhargavi; Doorwa; Granthi; Sveta
- Hindi : Doorva; Doob
- TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: Arugu; Aruvam-pillu; Mooyar-pul - BengaliBengali languageBengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
: Durba - KannadaKannada languageKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
: Ambate-hullu; Garikae - MalayalamMalayalam languageMalayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
: Karuka-pulli - MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
: Doorva; Haryali - PunjabiPunjabi languagePunjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
: Dub; Kabbar; Talla - TeluguTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
: Garika; Gerike; Haryali (గరిక) - Pushtu : Kabal
- Urdu : Ghass
- Nepali language Nepali:Dubo