Agrostis
From Freepedia
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| Image:Gewoon struisgras Agrostis tenuis.jpg Agrostis tenuis | ||||||||||||
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Agrostis (Bent or Bentgrass) is a genus of over 100 species belonging to the grass family Poaceae.
- Selected species
- Agrostis canina (Velvet Bent)
- Agrostis capillaris (Common Bent)
- Agrostis clavata (Northern Bent)
- Agrostis curtisii (Bristle Bent)
- Agrostis gigantea (Black Bent)
- Agrostis castellana (Highland Bent)
- Agrostis mertensii (Arctic Bent)
- Agrostis scabra (Tickle Bent)
- Agrostis stolonifera (Creeping Bent; syn. A. palustris)
- Agrostis vineale (Brown Bent)
Uses
Some species of bents are commonly used for lawn grass. This is a desirable grass for golf course tees, fairways and greens.
Bentgrass is used in turf applications for its numerous advantages: it can be mowed to a very short length without damange, it can handle a great amount of foot traffic, it has a shallow root system that is thick and dense allowing it to be seeded and grow rather easily, and it has a pleasing, deep green appearance.
One bentgrass species used for turf, Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) is the one most commonly used on golf courses especially on their greens. Creeping Bentgrass grows in a thick dense mat with a vigorous growth rate. The leafy aboveground portions sprout each spring from the rhizome (underground horizontal stem) that are protected from the winter. These rhizomes can branch prolifically and each branch may produce many more leaves. With this type of growth pattern the grass can colonize a large area rather quickly. The leaves of the bentgrass are long and slender.
Colonial Bentgrass (Agrostis tenuis) was brought to America from Europe. This was the type of grass that was used on the lawns of most estates. It is the tallest of the bents with very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this bent grass has been used on golf courses and sporting fields it is better suited for lawns.
Colonial Bentgrass is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish than the Creeping variety. However it does not require the intense maintenance.
Velvet Bentgrass (Agrostis canina L.) gets it name for the velvet appearance that this grass produces. It has the finest texture of all the bent grasses. This grass was used in Europe for estate lawns and golf courses because it could be cut so short. This bent grass does require more upkeep and maintenance that the Creeping variety and because of this has been overlooked as a practical turf for current golf courses. This variety also has a lighter color than the two other varieties.
