redtop USDA PLANTS Symbol: AGGI2
U.S. Nativity: Exotic
Habit: Grass or Grasslike
Agrostis gigantea Roth
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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae
Native Range: Eurasia (BAIL);
Appearance
Agrostis gigantea is a perennial grass that makes a coarse turf and grows to 2-3 ft. (0.6-0.9 m) tall.
Foliage
Leaves are bluish green or greyish blue, narrow, sharp and about 0.4 in. (0.95 cm) wide and 8 in. (20.3 cm) long. The stems are slender, growing to 30-40 in. (76.2-101.6 cm) tall.
Flowers
The inflorescence is pyramidal and reddish in color--hence the common name of redtop. Flowers are yellow in color and bloom mid-spring.
Fruit
Fruit and seeds begin ripening in early summer. Seeds are very small and brown in color. Agrostis gigantea grows rapidly after seeding.
Ecological Threat
Agrostis gigantea occurs in areas with shallow water, in wet meadows, in grasslands, and along stream banks. It is native to Eurasia.
Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
Selected Images from Invasive.orgView All Images at Invasive.org


Plant(s); whole plant with inflorescences
Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org 		 


State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.
U.S. National Parks where reported invasive:
Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia)


Invasive Listing Sources:
City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999