Crested Dog's-tail - Cynosurus cristatus

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Description

Wiry, tufted grass 15 to 60 cm tall, bright green with flat smooth leaves 2 mm wide. Inflorescence erect, dense, oblong and spike like, flat looking and one sided, 3 to 5 cm long, florets very narrow and arranged like stiffly spread fingers.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Grassland and flower meadows.

When to see it

June to August.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Very common throughout Britain.

VC55 Status

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 558 of the 617 tetrads.

  • David Nicholls
    Charity Fields, Desford
    25 June 2013
  • David Nicholls
    Lea Meadows
    07 July 2011
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    10 June 2014
    Inflorescence flat on one side
  • David Nicholls
    Bradgate Park
    05 July 2013
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    10 June 2014
    florets like stiffly spread fingers
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    20 June 2008
  • martindgrimes
    Walk Farm
    16 June 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Higham on the Hill
    25 May 2015

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Crested Dog's-tail
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
174
First record:
21/09/1998 (Anthony Fletcher)
Last record:
02/08/2023 (Smith, Peter)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • Graham Calow
    Narborough Road, Cosby
    17 June 2016
  • Graham Calow
    Broughton Astley Brick Quarry
    16 June 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Ulverscroft
    21 June 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Ulverscroft
    21 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    10 June 2014
    Inflorescence dense and spike like
  • HAPeacock
    Glen Hills
    14 June 2011
  • HAPeacock
    Glen Hills
    14 June 2011
  • Graham Calow
    Stanton Lakes
    13 June 2013
    specimen examined
  • Graham Calow
    Main Road, Claybrooke Parva
    02 June 2016
  • Barbara Cooper
    Clawson Hill
    08 July 2012
  • Graham Calow
    Stanton Lakes
    13 June 2013
    specimen examined
  • David Gould
    The Spearwort Fields, Aylestone, Leicester
    27 June 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Claybrooke Magna
    02 June 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Hill Hole
    27 May 2016