Colonial Bent(grass)

Foodplant / spot causer
pycnidium of Ascochyta coelomycetous anamorph of Ascochyta agrostidis causes spots on live leaf of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / spot causer
pycnidium of Actinothyrium coelomycetous anamorph of Ascochyta leptospora causes spots on leaf of Agrostis capillaris

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Blumeria graminis parasitises live Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / gall
stroma of Epichlo causes gall of stem of Agrostis capillaris
Remarks: season: fertile in 8

Foodplant / spot causer
sporodochium of Hadrotrichum virescens causes spots on live leaf of Agrostis capillaris
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / pathogen
Labyrinthula infects and damages Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / pathogen
pycnidium of Dilophospora coelomycetous anamorph of Lidophia graminis infects and damages live inflorescence of Agrostis capillaris
Remarks: season: 5-10, esp. 7

Foodplant / sap sucker
nymph of Lopus decolor sucks sap of Agrostis capillaris
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
colony of Mastigosporium anamorph of Mastigosporium rubricosum causes spots on live leaf of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / sap sucker
adult of Neides tipularius sucks sap of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / parasite
amphigenous, scattered or in patches uredium of Puccinia coronata parasitises live leaf of Agrostis capillaris
Remarks: season: summer

Foodplant / parasite
linear telium of Puccinia graminis f.sp. agrostidis parasitises live stem of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / parasite
mostly epiphyllous, scattered uredium of Puccinia recondita parasitises live leaf of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / spot causer
colony of Drechsler dematiaceous anamorph of Pyrenophora erythrospila causes spots on live leaf of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / pathogen
internal sorus of Tilletia sphaerococca infects and damages ovary of Agrostis capillaris
Remarks: season: 9-10

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Typhula incarnata is saprobic on dying stem of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / spot causer
long, linear, erumpent sorus of Urocystis agropyri causes spots on live, blistered leaf of Agrostis capillaris

Foodplant / parasite
embedded sorus of Urocystis agrostidis parasitises live culm of Agrostis capillaris

Perennial, rhizomatous; rhizomes scaly, short. Culms tufted, geniculate or decumbent and rooting at base, 20–70 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth; leaf blades linear, flat or inrolled, 2–15 cm × 1–4 mm, scabrous or nearly smooth, apex acuminate; ligule on non-flowering shoots 1–2 mm, shorter than wide, truncate. Panicle elliptic in outline, up to 20 cm, open, very lax; branches 2–5 per node, spreading, capillary, 1.5–3.5 cm, slightly flexuous, smooth or almost so, bare in lower half, spikelets well spaced. Spikelets 1.5–2.5 mm, purplish brown; glumes elliptic-lanceolate, subequal or lower glume slightly longer, lower glume scabrid along keel distally, upper glume often smooth, apex acute; callus minutely hairy; lemma 2/3–3/4 spikelet length, glabrous, midrib slightly prominent, usually awnless, apex truncate; palea 1/2–3/4 length of lemma. Anthers 0.8–1.5 mm. Fl. Aug.

Henan, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shanxi, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, W Russia; N Africa, SW Asia (Caucasus, Turkey), Europe; introduced in North America and other temperate countries].

Moist grassy places, probably introduced; 1000–1500 m.

Agrostis sylvatica Hudson; A. tenuis Sibthorp; A. vulgaris Withering.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Rhizome elongate, creeping, stems distant, Stolons or runners present, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentia ted, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Lower panicle branches whorled, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longe r than spikelet, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex truncate, rounded, or obtuse, Lemma awnless, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea shorter than lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Agrostis capillaris, the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial bent grows in moist grasslands and open meadows, and can also be found in agricultural areas, roadsides, and invading disturbed areas.

The name Agrostis comes from the Greek word meaning forage plant, agros meaning "a field".

It is found growing in neutral to acidic soils. It has a very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this species is used on golf courses, providing some of the best ball playing surfaces in the world, it also produces a spectacular visual appearance when maintained properly. It provides an excellent home lawn but is not tolerant of heavy use. Colonial bent is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish than creeping bent. However, it does not require the intense maintenance.

Many internet sources describe it as being the tallest of the bent species. However, C. E. Hubbard describes its height as ranging from 10 to 70 cm high, whereas the black bent Agrostis gigantea is 40 to 120 cm. Marjorie Blamey, Richard and Alastair Fitter also describe black bent as being taller.