Agrostis capillaris L., Sp. Pl. 62 (1753).

A. tenuis Sibth., .
A. vulgaris With., .

Vegetative form. Perennial, erect or geniculate, rhizomatous or caespitose (the rhizomes with 3 or more scale leaves). Culms to 55 cm high. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous, with the veins equally striate. Ligule 1-2 mm long, membranous, obtuse or truncate. Leaf blades flat, to 150(-200) mm long, 1-5 mm wide, stiff or not stiff; adaxially glabrous or adaxially scabrous; abaxially glabrous or abaxially scabrous; with margins scabrous; convolute in bud.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Incomplete spikelets absent. Inflorescence of chasmogamous spikelets.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence a panicle, green or purple, erect or nodding, open, symmetrical (oblong, ovoid or pyramidal at anthesis). Peduncles glabrous. Rachides 10-200 mm long, scabrous. Primary inflorescence branches glabrous or scabrous, spreading (bare towards the base; divaricately branched).

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 2-3.5 mm long, laterally compressed, not disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels slender, clavate tip glabrous. Glumes two per spikelet, not diverging from the spikelets, similar, subequal, exceeding the florets, longer than the proximal lemma. Lower glume ovate, membranous, keeled, acute, muticous; 1 veined, midvein scabrous (in the upper half). Upper glume ovate, membranous, keeled, acute, muticous; 1 veined, midvein scabrous. Rudimentary florets absent. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 1 per spikelet. Callus present, blunt, shortly and sparingly bearded. Lemma less firm than the glumes, laterally compressed, ovate to elliptic, 1.5-1.8 mm long, membranous, not keeled, truncate, shortly dentate; muticous or awned (rarely). Lemma 3-5 veined. Lemma veins glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Awns 1, median. Median awn 1 veined, dorsal; arising from the lower half of the lemma, geniculate. Palea fully developed, 1/2 the length of the lemmas to 2/3s the length of the lemma, membranous. Lodicules 2, hyaline, ovate. Stamens 3. Anthers 1-1.5 mm long, yellow or purple. Ovary glabrous. Styles 2, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, glabrous.

Common name. Browntop Bent.

Distribution. Introduced. Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia (ACT ?).

Ecology. Mesophytic; in open habitats. Common as a weed of pastures and roadsides and invading native herb and grassfields in highland areas. Occurs mainly on poor, acid soil types. Flowers spring-summer.

Notes. Economic importance: a major turf species (lawns and sports turf) in the cooler parts of Australia. Also a major weed of pastures especially in areas of low soil fertility.

Classification. Pooideae; Poodae; Aveneae.

References. Morphology: Morris 83 (1991); Jacobs & Hastings (1994). Illustrations: agrost24.gif

Cite this publication as:
C.M. Weiller, M.J. Henwood, J. Lenz and L. Watson (1995 onwards). `Pooideae (Poaceae) in Australia - Descriptions and Illustrations'. URL http://muse.bio.cornell.edu/delta/
Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993) should also be cited.

References and Acknowledgements