Cynodon dactylon

Scientific name: Cynodon dactylon

Family: Poaceae (Grass family)

Common names: Dhub, Doob, Harialil, Couch grass, Bermudagrass, Bahama Grass, Devil's Grass, Wire Grass.

Cynodon dactylon 

Cynodon dactylon

Cynodon dactylon is a hardy perennial grass and is one of the most commonly occurring weeds in India.

The culms(stems) take root at lower nodes. The leaf blade is flattened with a sharp tip, and is hairy or glabrous(hairless).The inflorescence consist of 3-7 slender spikes up to 60mm long, arranged terminally on the axis. The spikelets are sessile and without an awn. Flowering is from March to September.

It occurs on almost all soil types especially in fertile soil. It is common in disturbed area such as gardens, roadside, overgrazed, trampled area, uncultivated lands, localities with high level of nitrogen, and often found in moist sites along rivers. Tey helps in preventing soil erosion.

To the Hindu in India, Bermudagrass was a sacred grass because it fed their sacred cows.

Medicinal Uses: 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 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.