Cynodon dactylon - bermuda grass

	DISSEMINATION

Kingdom	Plantae
Sub Kingdom	Tracheobionta (vascular plant)
Superdivision	Spermatophyta (seed plant)
Division	Magnoliophyta (flowering plant)
Class	Liliopsida (monocotyledon)
Order	Cyperales
Family	Poaceae
Genus	*Cynodon*
Species	*dactylon*
Classification	(L.) Pers.
Common Name	bermuda grass

Geographic Range	it is probably native to eastern Africa; it is found all over the world in mild and subtropical regions.
Physical Characteristics	perennial herb belonging to the Gramincaeae family; it may be 10-40 centimeters high; it may form a grass carpet of leaves. It spreads mainly by rhizomes and stolons and only seldom by seeds. Leaves are curled up in the shoot, they have a ligule made up of a fringe of about 1/2 millimeters long hair. This hair is found on the edges of the leaves where the blade joins the sheath. The leaves may be from 4 to 12 centimetersm long, they are opposite and have slightly irregular margins. Rhizomes and stolons are found on the same plant: the rhizomes form an almost impenetrable weft; the stolons are flattened, smooth, usually curved and rooted at the nodes. The inflorescenses consist of 3-7 spikes spreading from one point. Each spike is 3-6 centimeters long and flattened. The spikelets are organised in rows on every spike and each of them produces one lanceolate 1 millimeter long seed.
Habitat	wastelands.

Sources
References	Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology & Weed Science - Virginia Tech University Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Paris - France
Web References	http://www.ppws.vt.edu/ http://www.inra.fr/
Source of the photo	http://www.blitzworld.com/