Agrostis capillaris |
Agrostis stolonifera |
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agrostide fine, browntop, colonial bent, colonial bentgrass, Rhode Island bent, Rhode Island bentgrass |
agrostide stolonifere, carpet bentgrass, creeping bent, creeping bentgrass, fiorin, redtop, spreading bent |
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Habit | Plants perennial; rhizomatous or stoloniferous, rhizomes or stolons to 5 cm. | Plants perennial; stoloniferous, stolons 5-100+ cm, rooting at the nodes, often forming a dense mat, without rhizomes. |
Culms | 10-75 cm, erect or geniculate, with 2-5 nodes. |
(8)15-60 cm, erect from a geniculate base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with (2)4-7 nodes. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; sheaths smooth; ligules 0.3-2 mm, shorter than wide, dorsal surfaces usually scabridulous, sometimes smooth, apices truncate to rounded, erose-ciliolate, sometimes lacerate; blades 3-10 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, flat. |
mostly cauline; sheaths smooth; ligules longer than wide, dorsal surfaces usually scabrous, rarely smooth, apices usually rounded, acute to truncate, erose to lacerate, basal ligules 0.7-4 mm, upper ligules 3-7.5 mm; blades 2-10 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, flat. |
Panicles | 3-20 cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, (1)2-12 cm wide, stiffly erect, widely ovate, open, exserted from the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with (2)3-9(13) branches; branches smooth or scabridulous, spreading during and after anthesis, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/2, lower branches 1.5-7 cm; pedicels 0.4-3.3 mm, adjacent pedicels divergent. |
(3)4-20 cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, 0.5-3(6) cm wide, narrowly contracted, dense, oblong to lanceolate, exserted from the sheaths at maturity, lowest node with 1-7 branches; branches scabrous, ascending to appressed, except briefly spreading during anthesis, usually some branches at each node spikelet-bearing to the base, lower branches 2-6 cm; pedicels 0.3-3.3 mm. |
Spikelets | lanceolate or oblong, purplish brown to greenish. |
lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple. |
Glumes | subequal, 1.7-3 mm, 1-veined, acute; lower glumes scabridulous over the midvein towards the apices; upper glumes scabridulous or smooth over the midvein; calluses glabrous, or with a few hairs to 0.1 mm; lemmas 1.2-2.5 mm, smooth, glabrous, opaque to translucent, 3(5)-veined, veins typically prominent, apices obtuse to acute, usually entire, sometimes the veins excurrent to 0.5 mm, usually unawned, rarely awned, sometimes varying within a panicle, awns to 2 mm, mid-dorsal, straight or geniculate; paleas 0.6-1.2(1.4) mm, typically at least 1/2 the length of the lemmas, veins visible; anthers 3, 0.8-1.3 mm. |
subequal to unequal, 1.6-3 mm, lanceolate, 1-veined, sometimes scabridulous distally, at least on the midvein, acute to acuminate or apiculate; callus hairs to 0.5 mm, sparse; lemmas 1.4-2 mm, opaque to translucent, smooth, 5-veined, veins obscure or prominent distally, apices acute to obtuse, entire or the veins excurrent to about 0.1 mm, usually unawned, rarely with a subapical straight awn to about 1 mm; paleas 0.7-1.4 mm, veins visible; anthers 3, 0.9-1.4 mm. |
Caryopses | 0.8-1.5 mm; endosperm solid. |
0.9-1.3 mm; endosperm solid. |
2n | = 28. |
= 28, 35,42. |
Agrostis capillaris |
Agrostis stolonifera |
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Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WV; WY; HI; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; Greenland
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AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; HI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; Greenland
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Discussion | Agrostis capillaris grows along roadsides and in disturbed areas. It was introduced from Europe, and is now well established in western and eastern North America. It is often used for fine-leaved lawns; commercial seed sold as Agrostis tenuis 'Highland' usually contains A. capillaris. Agrostis capillaris differs from A. gigantea (p. 641) in its short ligules, especially on the vegetative shoots, and the open panicles that lack spikelets near the base of the branches. It differs from A. castellana (see next) in having diffuse rather than clustered spikelets, fewer rhizomes, divaricate panicle branches after anthesis, calluses that are glabrous or with hairs up to 0.1 mm long, and glabrous lemmas. It also tends to flower somewhat earlier than A. castellana. Agrostis capillaris readily hybridizes with A. vinealis (p. 643), the hybrids being somewhat intermediate between the two parents. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Agrostis stolonifera grows in areas that are often temporarily flooded, such as lakesides, marshes, salt marshes, lawns, and damp fields, as well as moist meadows, forest openings, and along streams. It will also colonize disturbed sites such as ditches, clearcuts, and overgrazed pastures. Its North American range extends from the subarctic into Mexico, mostly at low to middle elevations. Agrostis stolonifera has been confused with A. gigantea (see previous). It is considered to be Eurasian, but some northern salt marsh and lakeside populations may be native. Agrostis stolonifera is also similar to A. castellana (p. 639); it differs in having longer, acute to truncate ligules that are longer than wide, and in possessing extensive stolons. The names A. palustris Huds. and A. maritima Lam. have been applied to plants with longer stolons; all forms intergrade. A hybrid between A. stolonifera and Polypogon monspeliensis, xAgropogon lutosus (p. 668), has been found in the Flora region. It differs from A. stolonifera in having awned glumes and lemmas. Agrostis stolonifera readily hybridizes with A. vinealis (see below), the hybrids being somewhat intermediate between the two parents. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 639. | FNA vol. 24, p. 641. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. vulgaris, A. tenuis forma aristata, A. alba var. vulgaris, A. alba var. aristata, A. tenuis | A. stolonifera var. palustris, A. stolonifera var. compacta, A. palustris, A. maritima, A. alba var. stolonifera, A. alba var. palustris, A. alba forma aristigera |
Name authority | L. | L |
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