Redtop

Agrostis gigantea, known as redtop or black bent, is a rhizomatous perennial grass in the family Poaceae, reaching 40–120 cm tall—notably taller than related bent grasses. The leaves are dull green, rolled in the shoot, and lack hairs and auricles; a distinctive blunt but toothed ligule up to 6 mm long aids identification. The inflorescence is an open, loose panicle of green or purplish color, produced from June through August. The plant spreads vigorously by long rhizomes, giving it strong tolerance of disturbance, drought, and fire—both rhizomes and seeds survive burning. Native to Europe and temperate Asia, it has been widely introduced and naturalized across North America and other temperate regions, occupying open woodland, rough grassland, hedgerows, roadsides, waste ground, and cultivated fields where it sometimes behaves as a weed. It served as a major North American pasture grass until the 1940s, particularly on cool, poor soils.