Agrostis gigantea
Encyclopedia
Agrostis gigantea, known by its common name
Redtop, is a perennial
grass of the Agrostis
genus
.
It is native to Europe, but in the cooler areas of North America was widely used as a pasture
grass until the 1940s. Although it has largely been replaced by soybeans and more palatable grasses, it still gets some use in poor soils. It was one of the grasses planted in areas disturbed by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. It generally does well in response to fires, due to survival of rhizomes and seeds.
It can be found in open woodland, rough grassland, hedgerows, roadsides and waste ground, and as a weed on arable land.
This species is similar to Agrostis stolonifera
, with the key difference being that the latter has stolon
s. In fact the two are sometimes treated as a single species, and it is not always clear precisely what an author means by Agrostis alba or Agrostis stolonifera.
Many internet sources describe Agrostis capillaris
as being the tallest of the bent species. However C E Hubbard describes its height as ranging from 10 to 70cm high, whereas Agrostis gigantea is 40 to 120 cm. Marjorie Blamey, Richard and Alastair Fitter also describe Black Bent as being taller.
is blunt, but toothed and up to 6mm long.
The panicle is open and loose, of green or purplish colour. It flowers from June to August.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
Redtop, is a perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
grass of the Agrostis
Agrostis
Agrostis is a genus of over 100 species belonging to the grass family Poaceae, commonly referred to as the bent grasses...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
.
It is native to Europe, but in the cooler areas of North America was widely used as a pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
grass until the 1940s. Although it has largely been replaced by soybeans and more palatable grasses, it still gets some use in poor soils. It was one of the grasses planted in areas disturbed by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. It generally does well in response to fires, due to survival of rhizomes and seeds.
It can be found in open woodland, rough grassland, hedgerows, roadsides and waste ground, and as a weed on arable land.
This species is similar to Agrostis stolonifera
Agrostis stolonifera
Agrostis stolonifera is a perennial grass species in the Poaceae family. It is stoloniferous and may form mats or tufts...
, with the key difference being that the latter has stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s. In fact the two are sometimes treated as a single species, and it is not always clear precisely what an author means by Agrostis alba or Agrostis stolonifera.
Many internet sources describe Agrostis capillaris
Agrostis capillaris
Agrostis capillaris is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family . It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world...
as being the tallest of the bent species. However C E Hubbard describes its height as ranging from 10 to 70cm high, whereas Agrostis gigantea is 40 to 120 cm. Marjorie Blamey, Richard and Alastair Fitter also describe Black Bent as being taller.
Description
The leaves are dull green. The liguleLigule
A ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
is blunt, but toothed and up to 6mm long.
The panicle is open and loose, of green or purplish colour. It flowers from June to August.