The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

agrostide stolonifere, carpet bentgrass, creeping bent, creeping bentgrass, fiorin, redtop, spreading bent

Howell's bent, Howell's bentgrass

Habit Plants perennial; stoloniferous, stolons 5-100+ cm, rooting at the nodes, often forming a dense mat, without rhizomes. Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous, not stoloniferous.
Culms

(8)15-60 cm, erect from a geniculate base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with (2)4-7 nodes.

40-80 cm, geniculate and decumbent at the base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with 3-6 nodes.

Leaves

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.

mostly cauline;

basal leaves withered by anthesis;

cauline leaves persisting;

sheaths smooth or scabridulous;

ligules (0.9)2.7-5 mm, dorsal surfaces scabrous, apices truncate to acute, erose to lacerate;

blades 15-20 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, flat.

Panicles

(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.

10-25 cm long, 3.5-11 cm wide, ovate, open and diffuse, bases usually exserted, rarely enclosed in the upper sheaths, lowest node with (1)2-6 branches;

branches scabridulous, flexuous, spreading, spikelets usually only on the distal 1/2, lower branches 3-10 cm;

pedicels 1.2-9.4 mm.

Spikelets

lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

ovate to lanceolate, green, not or slightly tinged with purple.

Glumes

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.

unequal, 2.3-3.5 mm, 1(3)-veined, veins scabridulous, acute to acuminate;

callus hairs to 0.3 mm, abundant;

lemmas 2.5-3 mm, usually smooth, sometimes scabridulous, translucent to opaque, 5-veined, veins prominent distally or obscure, apices acute to obtuse, lateral veins extending as 4 teeth to 0.5 mm, awned from the lower 1/3, awns 4-6 mm, geniculate;

paleas absent or minute;

anthers 3, 1-1.3 mm.

Caryopses

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

1.2-1.6 mm;

endosperm liquid.

2n

= 28, 35,42.

= 28.

Agrostis stolonifera

Agrostis howellii

Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Agrostis howellii is a rare Washington and Oregon endemic, growing in shady woodlands and at the base of cliffs.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 641. FNA vol. 24, p. 654.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Agrostis Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Agrostis
Sibling taxa
A. anadyrensis, A. blasdalei, A. canina, A. capillaris, A. castellana, A. clavata, A. densiflora, A. elliottiana, A. exarata, A. gigantea, A. hallii, A. hendersonii, A. hooveri, A. howellii, A. hyemalis, A. idahoensis, A. mertensii, A. microphylla, A. nebulosa, A. oregonensis, A. pallens, A. perennans, A. rossiae, A. scabra, A. tolucensis, A. variabilis, A. vinealis
A. anadyrensis, A. blasdalei, A. canina, A. capillaris, A. castellana, A. clavata, A. densiflora, A. elliottiana, A. exarata, A. gigantea, A. hallii, A. hendersonii, A. hooveri, A. hyemalis, A. idahoensis, A. mertensii, A. microphylla, A. nebulosa, A. oregonensis, A. pallens, A. perennans, A. rossiae, A. scabra, A. stolonifera, A. tolucensis, A. variabilis, A. vinealis
Synonyms 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 Scribn
Web links