Bermuda Grass
Cynodon dactylon · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Chloridoideae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass, Sports Turf, Erosion Control
Variety / Cultivar
Common Bermuda or hybrid turf variety
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Zones 7-10, with good heat tolerance, moderate cold tolerance (dormant below freezing), and excellent suitability for the southern transition zone.
About This Grass
Forms a dense, fine to medium-textured turf with a vibrant green color during active summer growth, turning straw-brown with the first hard frost.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are 2-4 mm wide, flat or folded, with pointed tips, grayish-green to medium green color, rolled in the bud (vernation), with a membranous ligule fringed with hairs and no auricles.
Root System
Deep, fibrous root system extending several feet into the soil, coupled with aggressive surface stolons and underground rhizomes, providing excellent drought tolerance and fast wear recovery.
Growing Information
Origin Region
African savannah and tropical regions, widely naturalized globally in warm climates
Growth Habit
Aggressive, spreading via both stolons and rhizomes, forms a dense, tight mat
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun (minimum 6-8 hours of direct sunlight) and moderate watering once established, exhibiting high drought tolerance by going dormant during extreme dry spells.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 0.5 to 1.5 inches for hybrid varieties and up to 2 inches for common Bermuda; requires frequent mowing, moderate to high fertilization, and periodic dethatching/aeration.
Special Characteristics
Exceptional traffic and wear tolerance, rapid recovery rate, good salt tolerance, poor shade tolerance, highly invasive in flower beds due to aggressive spreading stolons.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in North America, provides good soil stabilization and erosion control on slopes, utilized for pastures and turf, with moderate wildlife value.