bent grass, any species of the genus Agrostis of the family Gramineae (grass family), chiefly slender, delicate plants native to cool climates. Many are used for forage or lawns. Important species naturalized from Europe include the creeping bent (A. palustris), a lawn and putting-green grass; colonial bent (A. tenuis), frequently used in lawn mixtures; and especially, redtop (A. alba), called also fiorin and herd's-grass. Redtop, a perennial with reddish panicles, is much used (often mixed with clover) for pasture and hay in NE America; it is also effective in erosion control. The cloud grass (A. nebulosa), native to Spain, is cultivated for use as an everlasting. Bent grass is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Cyperales, family Gramineae.

Bent, William, 1809-69, American frontiersman, b. St. Louis. One of the younger brothers of Charles Bent, he was for many years the manager of Bent's Fort, while Charles Bent lived mainly in Taos. William Bent was one of the most widely known and highly respected traders in the West. He scouted for Stephen W. Kearny and Sterling Price in the Mexican War. In 1849 he destroyed the fort, building another farther down the Arkansas River (1853).

Bent, James Theodore, 1853-97, English explorer and archaeologist. He engaged in archaeological research on the coast of Asia Minor (1888-89) and in Bahrain (1889), Cilicia Trachia (1890), Mashonaland (now in Zimbabwe; 1891), Ethiopia (1893), and the Arabian peninsula (1893-97), where he mapped the Hadramaut region. He wrote The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland (1892), The Sacred City of the Ethiopians (1893), and Southern Arabia (1900).

Bent, Charles, 1799-1847, American frontiersman, b. St. Louis. He entered the fur trade of the Missouri River and became one of the mountain men. His interests turned to the Southwest, and he led expeditions on the Santa Fe Trail. Charles Bent was the senior partner of a trading firm that included Ceran St. Vrain as well as William Bent and others of the seven Bent brothers. The company was one of the most prominent on the frontier, and Bent's Fort was one of the most famous American trading posts. Because of his high standing, Charles Bent was chosen as governor of New Mexico after the American occupation in the Mexican War. He was murdered at Taos in an uprising of Native Americans and Mexicans.

Any of the annual or perennial grasses that make up the genus Agrostis, in the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), found in temperate and cool regions and at high altitudes in subtropical and tropical areas. At least 40 species are found in the U.S.; some are weeds, others forage and turf plants. They have slender stems and flat blades. Many spread by creeping stolons. Redtop (A. gigantea) is a hay and pasture grass. Creeping bent (A. stolonifera variety palustris) and colonial bent (A. tenuis) are popular lawn grasses; the many strains of both species are planted in golf courses and bowling greens, where they are closely cut to develop a fine, spongy, firm turf.

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