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Crested dog’s tail

Cynosurus cristatus
The flower head is flat on one side and resembles a dog’s tail. Folded leaf, yellow base. Flowers June-July.
Soil moisture tolerances: 
It is found on sites with more than 20 weeks dry soil per year and less than 10 weeks wet soil per year. It is very intolerant of wet soil!
Soil fertility tolerances: 
It is typically found on moderately fertile sites (10-25 mg P/kg) or P index 1-2.
Suitability for floodplain living: 
The scientific name directly translates from its common name. (Cyno = dog; urus = tail and cristatus = crested) with origins from the greek words ‘kuno’ and ‘oura’ and latin word “cristatus”.
Further information: 

Click here for a link to the online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora with details of the plant ecology, distribution, photos and habitats: https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/index.php?q=plant/cynosurus-cristatus

Link to information from the Natural History Museum: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/species/cynosurus_cristatus.html

Click here for a link to the biological flora; a summary of all that is known about the ecological requirements of the plant, published in the Journal of Ecology: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2257379