Sweet Vernal Grass

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Blumeria graminis parasitises live Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / parasite
Sphacelia anamorph of Claviceps purpurea parasitises inflorescence of Anthoxanthum odoratum
Remarks: season: 7

Foodplant / parasite
colony of Drechslera dematiaceous anamorph of Drechslera dematioidea parasitises live Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / gall
stroma of Epichlo causes gall of stem of Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / saprobe
pycnidium of Hendersonia coelomycetous anamorph of Phaeosphaeria vagans is saprobic on dead stem of Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous, long covered by epidermis telium of Puccinia brachypodii var. poae-nemoralis parasitises live leaf of Anthoxanthum odoratum
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / parasite
linear telium of Puccinia graminis ssp. graminicola parasitises live sheath of Anthoxanthum odoratum
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / pathogen
embedded sorus of Tilletia anthoxanthi infects and damages live ovary of Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / gall
Tylenchus devastatrix causes gall of stem of Anthoxanthum odoratum

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Typhula incarnata is saprobic on dying stem of Anthoxanthum odoratum

A new introduced grass at 2,000 m alt. in central Taiwan

Sweet Vernal-grass is a polymorphic species, varying considerably in size, leafiness and hairiness. At one time it was included in seed-mixtures for pasturage or hay on account of its fragrant smell, but it is not very palatable to stock and has a high proportion of stem to leaf.

Perennials, withot conspicuous rhizome. Culms tufed, erect slender, 20-60 cm tall, 1 mm in diameter. Leaves radical and caline. Blades short-linear, 2-13 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat, soft, generally sparsely pilose on both surfaces; ligules 3.5 mm long, white hyaline; sheath sparsely pilose. Panicle erect, contrated and spike-like, lanceolate, 2-4.5 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, contiguous or somewhat intrrupted with vestige branches below, ligt green and eventually yellow-brown; branches short, scabrous, sparsely pilose. Spikelets on pubescent short pedicel, lanceolate, 7-8 mm long, compressed, shiny, 3-flowered, the lower tw sterile, and the uppermost one perfect and fertile; glumes unequal, strongly folded with acute keel, the keel scabrous above, sometime hairy on keel; the lower glume narrowly ovate, hyaline, 3.5-4 mm long, 1-nerved; the upper glume widely lanceolate, dotted, 7-8 mm long, 3-nerved. Both sterile lemmas narrowly oblong, 3 mm long, brownish, pubescent with brown hairs except at bilobed apex; the lower lemma with a straight awn arising at 1/4 from the base. Fertile lemma obovate, 2 mm long, glabrous, smooth, faintly 3-nerved. Palea lanceolate oblong, 1-nerved. Anthers 2, each 3.5-4 mm long.

Plant loosely tufted, sometimes rhizomatous. Culms 15–60(–100) cm tall, 1–3-noded. Leaf sheaths glabrous or loosely pilose, mouth glabrous or bearded; leaf blades flat, up to 12 cm, 2–7 mm wide, glabrous or loosely pilose, smooth or scabrid, apex acuminate; ligule 1–3 mm, obtuse. Panicle dense, spikelike, lanceolate to narrowly oblong in outline, 2–7(–10) × 0.4–1 cm; branches short; pedicels pubescent or glabrous. Spikelets lanceolate, 6–9 mm; glumes unequal, pubescent or punctiform-scabrid, margins sometimes ciliate, lower glume ca. 1/2 length of upper glume, 1-veined, upper glume subequal to spikelet, 3-veined; lower florets sterile, composed only of lemmas, 2.5–3.5 mm, pilose on back, apex 2-lobed, lobes short, obtuse; first lemma awned from near middle, awn straight, 2–4 mm; second lemma awned near base, awn geniculate, 7–9 mm; bisexual floret 2–3 mm, smooth, shiny; palea 1-veined; anthers 3–4.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.

Tufted perennial. Culms 10-50 (-100) cm high, erect. Leaf-blades 1-12 (-30) cm long, 1.5-5(-9) mm wide, glabrous to sparsely hairy, finely pointed at the tip; ligule 1-5 mm long. Panicle very dense to somewhat loose, ovate to narrowly oblong, 1-9 (-12) cm long, 6-15 mm wide, green or purplish. Spikelets lanceolate, the upper awn protruding; glumes thinly membranous, loosely to sparingly hairy; lower glume ovate, 3-5 mm long, 1-nerved, mucronate; upper glume ovate to elliptic, 6-10 mm long, 3-nerved, mucronate; sterile lemmas 3-3.5 mm long, obscurely bibbed, the awn of the upper 6-9 mm long; fertile lemma 2 mm long; anthers 3-4.5 mm long.

Native to Europe and Siberia

Jiangxi, Taiwan (introduced), Xinjiang, NE China [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia; Europe].

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan & N.W.F.P.); widespread in Europe and temper-ate Asia; introduced to North America.

Meadows, alpine steppe; 1400–2900 m.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem nodes bearded or hairy, Plants aromatic or malodorous, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath hairy, hispid or prickly, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades lanceolate, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades more or less hairy, Leaf blades scabrous, roughened, or wrinkled, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence simple spikes, Inflorescence a dense slender spike-like panicle or raceme, branches contracted, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence spike linear or cylindric, several times longer than wide, Inflorescence single raceme, fascicle or spike, Flowers bisex ual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets sessile or subsessile, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets with 3-7 florets, Spikelet with 1 fertile floret and 1-2 sterile florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longer than spikelet, Glume surface hairy, villous or pilose, Glumes 1 nerved, Glumes 3 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma coriaceous, firmer or thicker in texture than the glumes, Lemma becoming indurate, enclosing palea and caryopsis, Lemma 1 nerved, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma body or surface hairy, Lemma apex truncate, rounded, or obtuse, Lemma awnless, Lemma distinctly awned, more th an 2-3 mm, Lemma with 1 awn, Lemma awn less than 1 cm long, Lemma awn subapical or dorsal, Lemma awns straight or curved to base, Lemma awn once geniculate, bent once, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea shorter than lemma, Palea about equal to lemma, Stamens 2, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis.

Anthoxanthum odoratum is a short-lived perennial grass, commonly known as sweet vernal grass, that is native to acidic grassland in Eurasia and northern Africa. It is grown as a lawn grass and a house plant, due to its sweet scent, and can also be found on unimproved pastures and meadows. The specific epithet odoratum is Latin for 'odorous'.