What does bentgrass mean?
Bentgrass is a common name for grasses in the genus Agrostis, a large group of slender-stemmed plants that includes species valuable in lawns, sports fields, pastures, and golf courses. Its best-known member is creeping bentgrass, a low-growing grass that spreads by horizontal stems called stolons. Under close mowing, it produces the dense, even turf required for putting greens and other finely grawn playing surfaces. Bentgrass is therefore both a taxonomic description and an important term in turf management, horticulture, and agricultural science. Different species have distinct colors, growth habits, and tolerances for moisture, temperature, and cutting, so the name does not identify a single uniform grass. Outside specialist contexts, the word is less familiar than general lawn-grass terms, but it is central to discussions of golf-course design, seed mixtures, and the cultivation of soft, resilient turf.
nounAny of various slender-stemmed grasses of the genus Agrostis, especially creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), a low-growing grass widely cultivated in lawns, sports fields, and golf courses.
- A grass of the genus Agrostis, a diverse group of slender-stemmed grasses that includes species cultivated as lawn and sports turf.
"Creeping bentgrass forms a dense, resilient turf when mown at the appropriate height."
"Creeping bentgrass is commonly used on golf putting greens because it tolerates close mowing and forms a smooth playing surface."
"Ecologists identified several bentgrasses growing along the disturbed edge of the meadow."
Usually used as a singular or mass noun when referring to the grass generally; the plural is appropriate when discussing multiple distinct species.
"Several bentgrasses are included in seed mixtures for cool-season sports fields."
The grass that conquered golf greens spreads by creeping stolons, producing the dense, smooth surface puttlers know so well.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bentgrass
Bentgrass is an English compound formed from bent and grass, reflecting the characteristically fine, arching, or bent growth of grasses in the genus Agrostis. The word developed in English botanical and agricultural usage during the nineteenth century. The genus name Agrostis derives from Greek agrostis, a general term for grass and the source of the modern discipline agrostology, the study of grasses.
How bentgrass is actually used
The term occurs mainly in botanical, agricultural, horticultural, and turf-management contexts. It is ordinarily used as a mass noun, while specific cultivated species are commonly named, as in creeping bentgrass and colonial bentgrass.
Easily confused with bentgrass
Both are cool-season turfgrasses, but bentgrass belongs to the genus Agrostis, whereas fescues belong to the genus Festuca.