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Crested Dog's-tail

©Richard Burkmarr

Crested dog's-tail

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Scientific name: Cynosurus cristatus
Growing in tufts, Crested dog's-tail is a stiff-looking grass, with a tightly packed, rectangular flower spike. Look for it in lowland meadows and grasslands.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 75cm

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

January to December

About

Once grown as a crop and used for making bonnets, Crested dog's-tail is a common, tufted, perennial grass of grasslands and meadows. It tolerates many different kinds of soils, but is generally a lowland species and does not like to be waterlogged.

What to look for

Growing in compact tufts, Crested dog's-tail is a rather stiff-looking grass with narrow, green leaves. It has short, upright flower spikes with a tightly packed cluster of spikelets (containing the flowers) arranged in a long, rectangular shape.

Where to find

Widespread.

Did you know?

Crested dog's-tail is the foodplant of caterpillars of several butterfly species in the brown and skipper families.