4 BULLETIN 692, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Colonialbent. Thisis identical with Rhode Island bent, as is proved by cultures. 
Commercial seed has in recent years been gathered in small quantitiesin New Zealand. 
Velvet bent, or brown bent (Agrostis canine __‘, a distinct but variable Euro- 
pean grass, sparingly introduced into the United States. Seed is always present in 
the bent seed gathered in Germany, here referred to as South German mixed bent, 
as velvet bent makes up a varying proportion of the turf grown from such seed. By 
an unfortunate error the name Agrostis canina has been associated with Rhode Island ‘ 
bent by recent writers, and this has caused much confusion. 
Carpet bent. This grass is apparently always present in turf grown from South 
German mixed bent! seed. On turf 3 years old grown from such seed, carpet bent 
usually constitutes one-tenth to one-fourth of the turf. It produces long, creeping 
branches, so that each plant at length forms a dense circular mat of fine turf. The 
botanical name to be applied to carpet bent is still doubtful. 
REDTOP. 
Redtop (fig. 1) is now the common name employed for the most 
important of the bent grasses. In England, and formerly at least in 
New England, the names white- 
top and white bent were used. 
Redtop is the largest and 
most valuable of the grasses 
here described. Commercial 
seed has been grown for at least 
40 years mainly in southern 
Ilimois. The grass is, with 
scarcely a doubt, notindigenous 
to North America, but has been 
introduced from Europe. 
Botanically, redtop is usually 
known as Agrostis alba L. 'The 
original specimens of Linnzus 
still preserved in his herbarium 
are of this grass, but his de- 
scription and references apply 
partly to wood meadow grass 
(Poa nemoralis L.). 
The name Agrostis stolonifera 
L. is also frequently applied to 
redtop, owing to some doubt 
Fic. 1.—Redtop (Agrostis palustris). The detailed fig- concerning the type specimens 
ures show the structure of the ligule, a spikeletin in the Linnean herbarium. 
bloom, and separate parts of the spikelet. Some botanists consider that 
this name really belongs to the grass also known as Agrostis verti- 
1 South German mixed bent is often sold in the trade as “‘creeping bent,’’ and usually under the scien- 
tificname Agrostis stolonifera. This name, the first binomial given toany grass of the group here discussed, 
belongs to a plant growing about Upsala, Sweden, there known as Kryp-hven, that is ‘‘creeping bent.” 
It is quite intermediate in characteristics between redtop and fiorin, as determined from authentic Swedish 
specimens secured from Dr. Carl Lindman, of Stockholm, Sweden, but it is seemingly very different from 
carpet bent. 
