1 July 2009

Bent time

The bent grasses (Agrostis species) are coming into flower in the woods now as a fitting accompaniment to the current heatwave.

There are several species and they can be difficult to determine to species level but the one below is creeping bent, Agrostis stolonifera.

20090630 South View garden 010

As the scientific name suggests, it spreads by stolons that root as they go whereas the common bent, Agrostis capillaris has underground rhizomes.

The ligule, the small papery flap in the fork between the leaf blades and the main stem, is quite long in creeping bent and short in common bent.

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