''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and

stoloniferous In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external ...

perennial in the grass family (

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial bent grows in moist

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...

and open meadows, and can also be found in agricultural areas, roadsides, and invading disturbed areas. The name ''

Agrostis ''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a GMO creeping bent grass. Species * '' Agrostis aequivalvi'' ...

'' comes from the Greek word meaning forage plant, ''agros'' meaning "a field". It is found growing in neutral to acidic soils. It has a very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this species is used on golf courses, providing some of the best ball playing surfaces in the world, it also produces a spectacular visual appearance when maintained properly. It provides an excellent home lawn but is not tolerant of heavy use. Colonial bent is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish than creeping bent. However, it does not require the intense maintenance. Many internet sources describe it as being the tallest of the bent species. However, C. E. Hubbard describes its height as ranging from 10 to 70 cm high, whereas the black bent '' Agrostis gigantea'' is 40 to 120 cm. Marjorie Blamey, Richard and Alastair Fitter also describe black bent as being taller.

Description

It forms a dense sward of fine leaves. The

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla, such as that of a ...

is short and does not come to a point. This differs from creeping bent, ''

Agrostis stolonifera ''Agrostis stolonifera'' (creeping bentgrass, creeping bent, fiorin, spreading bent or carpet bentgrass) is a perennial grass species in the family Poaceae. Description ''Agrostis stolonifera'' is stoloniferous and may form mats or tufts. The p ...

'' in which it is pointed and up to 5mm long. The flowering

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s appear from May until June. They are finely branched and look like a purple haze from a distance. The panicle persists in winter after the seeds have been shed.

Environmental conservation

''Agrostis capillaris'' forms a constituent of purple moor grass and rush pastures, a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. This habitat occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe, and can be found in the south-west of England, especially in Devon. It is found on upland pastures throughout the UK.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q159717 capillaris Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus