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Agrostis perennans

Common name:	Upland Bent	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Walter.)Tuckerm.	Botanical references:	43, 235, 236
Synonyms:	Cornucopiae perennans (Walter.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - Quebec to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat:	Open woods, thickets, rocky banks and dryish open soil[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. altissima[B,P] A. elata[B,P] A. oreophila[B,P] A. perennans var. aestivalis[B,P] A. perennans var. elata[B,P] A. schweinitzii[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Thin Grass [L], Upland Bent [B], Upland Bentgrass [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.9m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed[161, 177]. No further details are given, though it is probably used as a cereal[K]. The seed is very small, its collection and utilization would be very fiddly[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on the needs of this plant, and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. Judging by its native range, however, it is likely to succeed in most areas of this country. Growing in a variety of habitats in the wild, though usually in dry soils, it is likely to be quite adaptable here so long as the ground is well-drained[K].
This is a very variable plant in the wild, it is erect and rather stout when growing in dry open ground, but weak with a lax panicle when growing in the shade[236].

Propagation

Seed - sow outdoors in a seedbed in spring and only just cover the seed[133]. It usually germinates in 2 - 3 weeks so long as the soil does not dry out.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[236] Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971 ISBN 0-486-22717-0
A nice and comprehensive flora, though a bit dated. Good line drawings of each plant, plus a brief idea of the habitat and a few notes on plant uses. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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