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Creeping Bentgrass

Agrostis stolonifera

Found in disturbed areas, wet, moist, or dry. 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 Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
About 2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually 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

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to October
Fruiting season
Summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Mississippi county.

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 MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Show all 14
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Parapediasia teterrellusBluegrass Webworm
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Elachista illectella
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
Hardiness
Zones 3a–6b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Purple
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads by runners
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

Creeping Bent Grass

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNA
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources