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Redtop Bentgrass

Agrostis gigantea

Found in fields, pastures, roadsides, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
About 2 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Hop Sedge
    Carex lupulina

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Moist to standing water. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Bush's Sedge
    Carex bushii

    Sun: Partial shade, Full sun. Soil: Dry to moist. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Sallow Sedge
    Carex lurida

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Green or inconspicuous.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Bloom
June to October
Fruiting season
Summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 8 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Agrostis

  • Agriphila ruricolellusSilver Striped Webworm, Lesser Vagabond Sod Webworm, Lesser Vagabond Crambid
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Amblyscirtes vialisCommon Roadside-Skipper, Black Little Skipper
  • Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
  • Crambus praefectellusSilver Striped Webworm, Common Grass-Veneer
  • Herpetogramma phaeopteralisDusky Herpetogramma Moth,
  • Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
  • Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
  • Leucania pseudargyriaFalse Wainscot
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
Show all 14
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Parapediasia teterrellusBluegrass Webworm
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Agrostis

  • Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Redtop

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankG4G5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources