''Agrostis scabra'' is a common species of

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

known by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s hair grass, rough bent, rough bent grass, winter bent grass, and ticklegrass. page 210 A

tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbl ...

, it is a

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ...

native to

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and much of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and widely known elsewhere as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

Distribution

It occurs in most of the United States except parts of the Southeast and in most of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

except for the farthest northern regions. It can be found in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and across

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

to far eastern Asia as far south as

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

.Grass Manual Treatment
It is resident in a great variety of habitats, from warm coastal valleys to the

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

of high mountain ranges. It has been observed on cliffs, in forests, at forest edges, in meadows and fields, and at the shores of rivers and lakes.

Description

''Agrostis scabra'' is a perennial

growing mainly upright in form to heights of , but reaching as high as . It has been found growing as high as in Colorado. The leaves are rough with tiny hairs and up to about 14 centimeters long. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

breaks off of the plant at maturity and is dispersed by wind. The plant is often confused with '' Agrostis hyemalis'', but ''Agrostis scabra'' tends to flower later in the year.

Uses

The tolerance of this grass to alpine climates makes it a good plant to use in revegetating disturbed land in such regions. It is known to respond to burning with increased growth. It is known to spring up on sites where few other plants can grow, such as abandoned

coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

s and soils polluted with

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

, and

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

. Prior to flowering, cattle, sheep, and horses readily consume it; it is also occasionally consumed by wild animals and after flowering by livestock.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Agrostis scabra''
* scabra Bunchgrasses of North America Bunchgrasses of Asia Grasses of the United States Grasses of Mexico Grasses of Canada Native grasses of California Native grasses of the Great Plains region Native grasses of Texas Grasses of Alabama Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Canadian Prairies Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Western United States Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of Central Mexico Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of Northeast Asia Flora of Siberia Flora of Japan Tumbleweeds Alpine flora {{Pooideae-stub