Holy-grass

Anthoxanthum nitens

Family: Poaceae Genus: Anthoxanthum Species: nitens

Synonyms: Avena odorata, Hierochloe odorata subsp. fragrans, Anthoxanthum hirtum, Hierochloe wrangelica, Hierochloe hirta subsp. arctica, Holcus borealis, Savastana hirta, Hierochloe odorata f. eamesii, Hierochloe odorata var. annulata, Anthoxanthum nitens subsp. kolymense, Hierochloe borealis var. fragrans, Hierochloe odorata var. firma, Hierochloe borealis subsp. fragrans, Hierochloe borealis var. microstachya, Torresia odorata, Anthoxanthum hirtum subsp. arcticum, Poa nitens, Hierochloe annulata, Hierochloe odorata subsp. kolymensis, Hierochloe odorata subsp. baltica, Hierochloe borealis var. biflora, Holcus borealis var. biflorus, Savastana odorata var. fragrans, Hierochloe hirta var. annulata, Savastana nashii, Holcus fragrans, Hierochloe nashii, Hierochloe odorata subsp. praetermissa, Hierochloe borealis var. firma, Holcus arcticus, Hierochloe odorata subsp. arctica, Hierochloe odorata subsp. hirta, Hierochloe hirta, Torresia nashii, Hierochloe glauca, Hierochloe baltica, Anthoxanthum nitens subsp. balticum, Hierochloe odorata var. diffusa, Hierochloe hirta subsp. praetermissa, Hierochloe fragrans, Hierochloe odorata var. biflora, Hierochloe praetermissa, Holcus odoratus, Hierochloe borealis, Hierochloe arctica, Hierochloe odorata var. fragrans, Dimesia fragrans, Savastana odorata, Hierochloe odorata

Holy-grass (en)

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:

antimicrobial

Gallery

Botanical Description

Anthoxanthum nitens, sweetgrass or vernal grass (long known as Hierochloe odorata), is a slender, aromatic, rhizomatous perennial grass in the family Poaceae with a circumboreal distribution across northern North America and northern Eurasia, extending to the Arctic Circle. From creeping pinkish-white rhizomes it produces sparse, slender flowering culms 20 to 60 cm tall in spring. The flowering stems are relatively short and bear an open, pyramidal panicle of small, shining, golden-brown spikelets, each containing one fertile and two staminate florets. After the brief flowering period the much longer, soft, lax leaf blades grow horizontally and may reach 100 cm or more by late summer, forming a loose sward at ground level. The whole plant emits a strong, sweet vanilla scent owing to coumarin in the tissues; this aroma intensifies on drying. The species favours moist meadows, damp prairie, lake margins and open forest, and is intolerant of dense competition.

Native Region: Afghanistan, Alaska, Alberta, Aleutian Is., Altay, Arizona, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greenland, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Labrador, Magadan, Maine, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Masachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mongolia, Montana, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Poland, Prince Edward I., Qinghai, Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Dakota, South European Russi, Sweden, Switzerland, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Tuva, Ukraine, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yukon

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

Sweetgrass is one of the four sacred medicines of many Plains and Subarctic Indigenous nations, alongside tobacco, cedar and sage. Braided dried leaves are burned as ceremonial smudge, used for purification, prayer and welcoming, and woven into baskets and ornaments. The plant is regarded among the Lakota, Anishinaabe, Cree, Blackfoot and others as the hair of Mother Earth, and infusions have been used as hair rinses, perfumes and mild medicinal washes. The coumarin and phytol content also makes the smoke and dried plant a traditional insect repellent.

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

224691

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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