Agrostis tenuis Sibth.
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. aristata (Parnell) Druce
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. hispida (Willd.) Philipson
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. pumila (L.) Druce
Agrostis vulgaris With.
Agrostis capillaris L.
Colonial bentgrass, creeping bentgrass, fine bentgrass
Native to Eurasia, colonial bentgrass has been introduced to many areas of the world.
Plants: This perennial grass is 4–30″ (10–75 cm) tall, forming dense patches of fine leaves that are valued for lawns, especially on golf courses. It may be in your own lawn, as it is a common component of grass seed mixes. In some habitats, though, it is considered invasive.
Leaves: Basal and cauline, 1–4 ⨉ 1/32–⅛″ (3–10 cm ⨉ 1–5 mm).
Flowers: Finely branched panicles are 1–8″ (3–20 cm) long, and erect. Spikelets are purplish brown to greenish, and so diffuse as to resemble a purple haze. They appear from May to June.
Fruits: The dried florets are the seeds, 1/16–⅛″ (2–3 mm) long.
Habitats: Moist grasslands, open meadows, roadsides, agricultural areas, and human-disturbed habitats.
Online References:
Agrostis sylvatica Huds.
Agrostis tenuis Sibth.
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. aristata (Parnell) Druce
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. hispida (Willd.) Philipson
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. pumila (L.) Druce
Agrostis vulgaris With.
Agrostis tenuis Sibth.
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. aristata (Parnell) Druce
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. hispida (Willd.) Philipson
Agrostis tenuis Sibth. var. pumila (L.) Druce
Agrostis vulgaris With.
6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
8/28/2013 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm) 
7/5/2021 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (8.9 × 12 cm) 
6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
7/18/2019 · Oceanview, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
7/23/2025 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm) 
6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
7/18/2019 · Oceanview, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Cyperales | Flowering plants including grasses |
| Family | Poaceae | Grasses (but not sedges or rushes) |
| Genus | Agrostis | The Latin and Greek names for a type of grass, from Greek agron or agros, “field or pasture,” undoubtedly a root word for “agriculture,” referring to its habitat |
| Species | capillaris | Hair-like |
Agrostis capillaris description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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