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Upland Bentgrass

Agrostis perennans

Found in moist to dry forests, woodlands, barrens, clearings, disturbed areas, and also in a variety of wetlands such as bogs, fens, seepage swamps, and depressions. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

46
Good

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
About 3.5 feet
Light
Shade, Partial sun, Full sun
Soil moisture
Low, Moderate, High
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
April to May
Fruiting season
August to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 17 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 8

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

Mountain bogs and fens

Wet, open, peaty mountain wetlands fed by seepage, often with sphagnum moss.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 49 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

20CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
  • Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
  • Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
  • Chrysoteuchia topiariusCranberry Girder, Subterranean Webworm, Topiary Grass-Veneer
  • Crambus praefectellusSilver Striped Webworm, Common Grass-Veneer
  • Ctenucha virginicaVirginia Ctenucha
  • Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
  • Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
Show all 20
  • Leucania pseudargyriaFalse Wainscot
  • Limochores mysticLong Dash
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Parapediasia teterrellusBluegrass Webworm
  • Photedes defectaNarrow-Winged Borer
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Elachista illectella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
November

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Upland Bent Grass

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources