Bermuda grass

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Bermuda grass

Bermuda grass spikelets

Bermuda grass ligule

Bermuda grass

Bermuda grass

Bermuda grass leaf

Bermuda grass inflorescence

Morphology

Culm

Erect or ascending, decumbent below, wiry, usually hollow, glabrous.

Blades

Flat or folded or margins loosely in-rolled, .4 to 6 inches long, 1/25 to 1/6 inch wide, rigid, spreading, often conspicuously 2-ranked; upper surface rough; lower surface glabrous; usually hairy near ligule; tip tapering to point.

Sheath

Crowded at base of culm and along stolons, open, mostly glabrous, long-hairy near ligule.

Ligule

Membranous, short, fringed; long hairs on either side.

Inflorescence

Whorl of 3-7 spikes arising from common point, each .8 to 3.2 inches long, slender, finger-like, purplish.

Spikelets

Numerous, flattened, sessile, over-lapping in 2 rows on 1 side of slender rachis, 1-flowered, 1/12 inch long; glumes narrow, lanceolate, 1/25 to 1/10 inch long, 1-nerved, tapering to sharp points, awnless; first glume shorter than second; lemmas boat-shaped, 1/12 to 1/10 inch long, firm, flattened; tip pointed; awnless, lemma keel minutely pubescent to long soft-hairy.

Ecology

Habitat

Open disturbed areas, pastures, fields, lawns, roadsides.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas

Reproduction

Rhizomes, stolons, and seeds.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Toxic in rare instances. Know to cause cyanogensis. Symptoms are abrupt onset, weakness, apprehension, labored breathing, and seizures. Also know to rarely cause photosensitization. The cause is unknown, but tends to occur in winter and early spring. There is abrupt onset, reddened skin, blistering, and scratching. Low occurrence in North America.

Forage Value

An important pasture grass in the southeast of the United States. It is highly palatable to cattle and provides some forage value for deer. Ducks and geese eat the seeds.

Uses

Bermuda grass is often planted in lawns and golf courses and is sometime used for erosion control.

Additional Notes