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© Rasbak 15:41, 9 June 2007 (UTC), some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA) · Wikimedia Commons
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Cynosurus cristatus
crested dogtail grass
Overview
Cynosurus cristatus is a tufted perennial grass in the family Poaceae, forming compact clumps 6-30 inches (15-75 cm) tall and 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) wide. The narrow basal leaves are flat, 0.04-0.16 inch (1-4 mm) wide and up to 6 inches (15 cm) long, smooth and dark green, with short ligules. In June to August each stem ends in a stiff, one-sided flowering spike 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) long, the fertile spikelets partly hidden behind comb-like sterile spikelets that give the seed head its crested, dog's-tail look. The dried stems and heads stand through winter and turn straw-coloured. The species grows in old, unimproved grassland, meadows, pastures, lawns, and downland across Europe and western Asia on a range of well-drained soils. It withstands close grazing, mowing, and trampling but is slow-growing and outcompeted on fertilised, intensively managed ground by ryegrasses, so it persists mainly in low-input grassland. The stiff seed heads feed finches and other birds into autumn.
Native Range
Native to Europe and western Asia, from Scandinavia and Britain south to the Mediterranean and east to the Caucasus and Iran. It grows in unimproved meadows, pastures, downland, lawns, and roadside verges, usually on neutral to calcareous, well-drained soils.Suggested Uses
Used in wildflower meadow and low-input lawn seed mixes, pasture, and grassland restoration on poorer soils. Its hard-wearing, low-growing turf suits paths and amenity areas, and the persistent seed heads add winter structure and feed birds. It also binds the surface of thin, well-drained soils.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 2'6"
Width/Spread4" - 10"
Bloom Information
The flowering heads appear from June to August, opening green and ripening to straw-brown. The grass is wind-pollinated, with no showy flowers, and the stiff seed spikes persist long after ripening. Seed is shed from late summer into autumn.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
green to strawFoliage Description
dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 5-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight