Cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata L.)
”The reason for the Swedish name hundäxing is said to be that the dogs, when they want to vomit, chew especially this grass, whose rough leaves easily achieve the desired effect” (Palmstruch, 1815).
Swedish: hundäxing – Danish: almindelig hundegræs – Norwegian: hundegras – Finnish: Koiranheinä – Icelandic: Axhnoðapuntur
Text by Jens Weibull, top photo by Peter Henriksson.
Well, maybe so. But honestly, I would like to see that cur among dogs who with precision manages to sniff out a tuft of cock’s-foot among all the green. Certainly dogs eat grass sometimes, but my personal experience tells me that they select at random. I would rather believe in the interpretation that äxing simply is an alternative of ax (Swedish for ear or spike; Hellquist, 1922) and that “dog” in this context refer to the shape of a dog’s paw. A little wide and tufted, and slightly pointed. An interpretation is probably as good as any other. This would correspond nicely to its English name − cock’s-foot − and the genus Dactylis is the same word as the Latin dactylus and the Greek daktylós for finger. In both Danish and Norwegian, the species is named dog’s grass (almindelig hundegræs and hundegras, respectively).
Important grassland crop
In any case, cock’s-foot is an important grassland crop throughout the Nordic region. The species is quite sensitive to grazing and is therefore best suited for mowing. It is usually sown in mixture with other species, e.g. red clover, alfalfa, or birdsfoot treefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) to create grazing fields for game, areas for seed-eating birds, etc. Although ca 1.140 hectares were cultivated in Sweden during 2020, the mean acreage since 2015 has been slightly less than 400 hectares. From a commercial point of view it ranks much lower than e.g. either timothy (Phleum pratense L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), or red or meadow fescue (Festuca rubra L. or F. pratensis L., respectively).
In addition to having a characteristic spike (see picture), cock’s-foot is easily recognizable by the flat leaf sheaths including the straw base, and a very long ligule (the small membrane at the base of the leaf that encloses the straw). The colour can vary quite a lot from even green via green-purple to violet, quite a lot depending on where it grows. The main subspecies, subsp. glomerata, which is widespread and wild-growing over most of the Nordic region incl. the Faeroe Islands and Iceland, can grow up to 140 cm tall. The subspecies lobata, found in Denmark, Sweden and also on Åland, is mostly confined on rich soil in broad-leaved forests.
References:
Hellquist, E (1922). Svensk etymologisk ordbok. Lund.
Palmstruch, J W (1815). Svensk botanik. Första bandet. Stockholm.
