Agrostis stolonifera

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Common names: Creeping bent Agrostide stolonifere
Synonyms: Agrostis stolonifera var. palustris Agrostis stolonifera var. compacta Agrostis palustris Agrostis maritima Agrostis alba var. stolonifera Agrostis alba var. palustris Aristigera
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 641.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Sandy Long

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants perennial; stoloniferous, stolons 5-100+ cm, rooting at the nodes, often forming a dense mat, without rhizomes. Culms (8) 15-60 cm, erect from a geniculate base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with (2) 4-7 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. 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. Spikelets lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused 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. Caryopses 0.9-1.3 mm; endosperm solid. 2n = 28, 35,42.

Distribution

Conn., N.J., N.Y., Wash., Mich., Del., D.C., Wis., W.Va., Mont., Oreg., Wyo., Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Kans., N.Dak., Nebr., S.Dak., Fla., N.H., N.Mex., Tex., La., Tenn., N.C., S.C., Pa., Mass., Maine, Alaska, Nev., Va., Colo., Calif., Ala., Ark., Vt., Ill., Ga., Ind., Iowa, Ariz., Idaho, Md., Ohio, Utah, Mo., Minn., Alta., B.C., Greenland, Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., N.W.T., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., R.I., Miss., Ky.

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Agrostis stolonifera"
42 +, 35 +  and 28 +
membranous +  and scarious +
not penicillate +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse +
M.J. Harvey +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
geniculate +
rounded +  and keeled +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
geniculate +
swelling +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
not evident +
scabridulous +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
spreading;ascending;appressed +
spikelike +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
hairy +  and glabrous +
Creeping bent +  and Agrostide stolonifere +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
not woody +
0.5cm +  and 3cm +
Conn. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Wash. +, Mich. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, Mont. +, Oreg. +, Wyo. +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +, Kans. +, N.Dak. +, Nebr. +, S.Dak. +, Fla. +, N.H. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, La. +, Tenn. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Pa. +, Mass. +, Maine +, Alaska +, Nev. +, Va. +, Colo. +, Calif. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Vt. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Ariz. +, Idaho +, Md. +, Ohio +, Utah +, Mo. +, Minn. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Greenland +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, N.W.T. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, R.I. +, Miss. +  and Ky. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
reduced +
(1)1.3-2(4) times longer than +
subtending +
scabridulous +
acute +  and acuminate or apiculate +
subequal +  and unequal +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
uncinate +
diffuse +  and dense +
opaque +  and translucent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
warty-tuberculate +  and scabridulous +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
membranous +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
4 +  and 7 +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
minute +  and subequal +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
4cm +  and 20cm +
0 +  and 1/2 +
oblong +  and lanceolate +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
not prolonged +
hairy +  and glabrous +
scabrous +  and scabridulous +
suffused with purple +  and green +
1 +  and 60 +
lanceolate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Agrostis stolonifera var. palustris +, Agrostis stolonifera var. compacta +, Agrostis palustris +, Agrostis maritima +, Agrostis alba var. stolonifera +, Agrostis alba var. palustris +  and Aristigera +
Agrostis stolonifera +
Agrostis +
species +
membranous +
2 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
not convergent +
visible +, prominent +  and obscure +
scabrous +  and scabridulous +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +