Colonial bentgrass vs Common Tarcrust

Agrostis capillaris compared with Diatrype stigma

Key Differences

• Colonial bentgrass is Least Concern while Common Tarcrust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Colonial bentgrass	Common Tarcrust
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Diatrypaceae
Genus	Agrostis	Diatrype
Species	Agrostis capillaris	Diatrype stigma

Conservation Status

Colonial bentgrass

LC — Least Concern

Common Tarcrust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Colonial bentgrass	Common Tarcrust
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Colonial bentgrass

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, Costa Rica, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

Common Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Colonial bentgrass

<em>Agrostis capillaris</em>, colonial bentgrass, is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae with an extensive native range across Europe and naturalised populations in North America, South America, and Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand. This species is highly adaptable, colonising tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate grasslands, disturbed soils, roadsides, and cultivated landscapes within the Neotropical realm. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Colonial bentgrass is a fine-leaved, low-growing species often used in lawn and sports turf applications due to its tolerance for close mowing and its capacity to form dense, even swards. Its panicle inflorescences bear numerous small spikelets on delicate, hair-like branches, giving the species a feathery appearance when in flower. In its naturalised range, <em>Agrostis capillaris</em> can become invasive, competing with native grass species in acid grasslands and open heathlands. The species tolerates acidic and nutrient-poor soils, attributes that contribute to its widespread persistence in degraded landscapes. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Common Tarcrust

<em>Diatrype stigma</em>, the common tarcrust, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Diatrypaceae, found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as more broadly in Europe and temperate regions globally. It grows as a crust-like, charcoal-black stromata on the dead bark and branches of deciduous hardwoods, particularly hazel, beech, and alder. The fruiting bodies are typically flat to slightly raised, dark gray to black patches that contain numerous embedded perithecia in which ascospores are produced. This fungus plays an important ecological role as a decomposer, breaking down dead woody material and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; given its broad distribution on common substrates, it is generally considered widespread. The species reproduces via wind-dispersed ascospores released from the perithecia. Diet, as a saprotrophic organism, consists of dead organic woody matter. Biological traits such as colony growth rates, spore output, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized quantitative assessments.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden