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Creeping bent with grass background

Creeping bent by Scott Chalmers

Creeping bent

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Scientific name: Agrostis stolonifera
As its name suggests, creeping bent runs along the ground before it bends and grows upright. It is a common grass of arable land, waste ground and grasslands.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 40cm

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

January to December

About

Creeping bent lives up to its common name: its stems run along the ground before growing upright. Found on grasslands, damp arable fields and waste ground, it flowers between June and August. It is thought that it hybridises with common bent and the resultant plant has developed a tolerance to heavy metal pollutants.

What to look for

Creeping bent has 'ligules' (membranous leaf sheaths) for leaves and tightly clustered, purplish spikelets (containing the flowers). The flower spike is less branched than in other forms of bent.

Where to find

Widespread.

Habitats

Did you know?

Cultivated forms of creeping bent are used for turf in golf courses and putting greens.