Couch
Cynodon dactylon

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A grass with stems which lie over and are creeping. It has slender scaly rhizomes or underground stems as well as stolons or runners. They branch and root at the nodes. It grows 5-15 cm high and can spread very widely. There are hairs in two rows on opposite sides of the stem. Erect short flowering branches are usually less than 20 cm high. The leaves are about 1.5 to 3 cm long. The flower spikes are 5 cm long, spreading and green or purple. They spread out like fingers on a hand. The small flower spikes are overlapping and about 1.5 mm long.

There are 8-10 Cynodon species. They are in the tropics. It is commonly used as a lawn grass in the tropics.

Where it is found

It grows in warm temperate and tropical places. They are found in lawns and in waste places throughout the Philippines. It is a weed of crops in many countries. It grows better on fertile soils. It grows in wetlands. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-12. Tasmanian Herbarium. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Balkans, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Caribbean, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Central Asia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Rotuma, Rwanda, Sahel, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Slovakia, Socotra, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Helena, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The tender leaves are edible cooked. They are used in chutney. They are also crushed and the juice used to make a drink. The rhizomes or underground stems are eaten raw as a snack and also ground into flour to make bread. They are dried and used as a spice. The leaves and stems are cooked in curries. Plants can have cyanide so should be cooked.

Minor. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Leaves, shoots, stem, seeds, grain, root, cereal, rhizome

How it is grown

Plants grow from sections of the creeping stems.

Its other names

Local names

Afar, Aroogum pillo, Arugam-pullu, Bahama grass, Bogobodje, Chepica, Chipice, Coastal Bermuda grass, Dhub grass, Dhub, Doomaar, Dubari bon, Dubo, Durba, Durva, Enjem, Garaka, Garike, Gericha gaddi, Gou ya gen, Grama, Grama dulce, Gramon, Hariali, Haritali, Karala, Kopekdisi, Kudigarikai, Mouku, Ngwengane, Njem, Pe poi, Serdo, Talla, Xerpolla

Synonyms

Capriola dactylon (Linn.) O. Ktze.; Cynodon glabratus; Cynodon occidentalis Willd. ex Steud.; Panicum dactylon Linn.;