Agrostis stolonifera L.
creeping bent
Perennial tufts of variable habit, to c. 100 cm, spreading by long stolons, sometimes low-growing and trailing, or turf-forming, sometimes loosely or densely tufted; branching intra- and/or extravaginal, the intravaginal shoots often trailing and elongating as stolons or sometimes erect, the extravaginal shoots at once ascending with 2-3 scale leaves at base. Leaf-sheath smooth or slightly scabrid, green or purple-tinged. Ligule (1)-2-6 mm, rounded, fimbriate, taller than wide. Leaf-blade 1-20 cm × c. 1-8 mm, flat, minutely scabrid on ribs, tip acute. Culm geniculate to rarely erect, or trailing and branching, rooting at lower nodes, internodes glabrous. Panicle 3-28 × 0.5-2.5-(6) cm, lanceolate to ovate, lax at flowering, later ± contracted with branches ± erect and appressed to rachis; rachis smooth, branches and pedicels scabrid. Spikelets 1.5-2.5-(3) mm, greenish or yellowish, becoming brownish or purplish. Glumes ± unequal, elliptic-lanceolate, sometimes slightly scabrid above, acute to acuminate, midnerve scabrid above. Lemma 1.3-2 mm, ± truncate, smooth to ± scabrid below, 5-nerved, nerves sometimes scabrid, outer lateral nerves usually slightly excurrent, apex minutely lobed above inner lateral nerves, midnerve not reaching lemma apex, usually terminating as an extremely minute projection in upper ⅓ of lemma, or midnerve rarely produced as a short, subterminal awn. Palea usually ½ to ⅔ length of lemma, apex usually obtuse, rarely shallowly notched. Callus glabrous or with very few minute hairs. Anthers 0.9-1.5 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.4 mm. Plate 2B.
N.; S.; St.: throughout; Ch., A., C. Sea level to subalpine, often in damp or boggy sites, in disturbed ground, modified grassland or open scrub.
Naturalised.
Indigenous to Europe, temperate Asia, North America.
