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Cynosurus cristatus

crested dogtail grass

Poaceae Europe and western Asia

Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–8

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

A short, tufted grass recognised by its stiff, narrow, one-sided seed head, where fertile spikelets are backed by flattened comb-like sterile spikelets to form a crested spike 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) long. The flowering stems are wiry and upright, and the basal leaves are flat and dark green. The one-sided, comb-backed spike separates it from the looser, more open heads of meadow grasses such as Poa spp. and Festuca spp. species.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6" - 2'6"

Width/Spread4" - 10"

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Summer

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 straw

Foliage Description

dark green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

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

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.8(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam chalk sand clay

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Cynosurus cristatus grows in full sun to light shade on free-draining neutral to alkaline soils of low to moderate fertility. It tolerates drought, close mowing, grazing, and foot traffic, which makes it a component of traditional hay meadows, lawns, and amenity turf seed mixes. On rich or heavily fertilised ground it is overtaken by faster grasses, so it is kept in mixtures by avoiding high-nitrogen feeding. It is grown from seed sown in spring or autumn and establishes slowly in the first year before forming dense tufts. Cutting or grazing after the seed has set maintains an open, species-rich sward. No watering is needed once established on all but the driest sites.

Pruning

As a grass it needs no pruning. In meadows it is cut for hay or grazed once the seed has ripened in mid- to late summer; in lawns it is kept short by regular mowing. Old flowering stems can be left over winter for seed-eating birds or cleared in early spring.