Agrostis avenacea

Agrostis avenacea is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific bent grass, New Zealand wind grass, fairy grass,[1][2] or blown-grass.[1] It is native to Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific Islands including New Guinea and Easter Island. While it is found in a wide variety of habitats, it seems particularly invasive in areas with damp soils, such as areas near bodies of water.[3] It has been introduced to southern Africa,[4] the United Kingdom,[5] Taiwan, the southern United States and Mexico.[6]

Agrostis avenacea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Agrostis
Species:	A. avenacea
Binomial name
Agrostis avenacea J.F.Gmel.
Synonyms
Agrostis retrofracta, Lachnagrostis filiformis[1]

Pacific bent grass is a tufted perennial grass growing up to 65 centimeters tall. The leaf blades are flat and about 8-25 centimeters long and 2-3 millimeters wide.[3] The stems, which are round or polygonal, are hollow.[5] The inflorescence, which appears in June and July, may be from 7-30 centimeters long. It consists of a panicle of wispy strands, each with several tiny, fuzzy spikelets at the end. The spikelets are two or three millimeters long.[7]

In Australia it is a fire hazard,[2][8][9] and interferes with trains.[10][11]

Agrostis avenacea is known elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It is particularly invasive in California, where it is a weed of sensitive vernal pool ecosystems around San Diego.[12]