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Hierochloe odorata
| Common name: |
Holy Grass |
Family: |
Gramineae |
| Author: |
(L.)P.Beauv. |
Botanical references: |
17 |
| Synonyms: |
Hierochloe borealis ((Schrad.)Roem.&Schult.) |
| Known Hazards: |
The plant contains coumarin, this is toxic if taken internally[169] and is sometimes considered to be carcinogenic[222]. |
| Range: |
Central and northern Europe, including Britain, to N. Asia and N. America. |
| Habitat: |
Wet banks in only a few sites in Scotland[17]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Anthoxanthum nitens[B]
H. alpina ssp. alpina[B,C,CAL,P]
H. fragrans[B]
H. nashii[B]
H. odorata ssp. dahurica[B]
H. odorata var. fragrans[B]
Holcus odoratus[B,G]
Savastana alpina[B,P]
Savastana nashii[B]
Savastana odorata[B]
Torresia odorata[B,G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Alpine Sweetgrass [P], Buffalo Grass [H], Pai Mao Hsiang [E], Russian Buffalo Grass [H], Seneca Grass [L], Sweet Grass [S,H,FEIS], Sweetgrass [P], Vanilla Grass [L,B], Vanilla-scented Grass [H], Veenreukgras [D], Zebrovka [H], Zubrowski [H], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
odorata = scented;
odora = fragrant;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
China; Us(Blackfoot); Us(Flathead)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires dry moist or wet soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Bog Garden.Edible Uses
Colouring; Condiment; Seed.
Seed - cooked[105]. Small and fiddly to use. It almost certainly does
not contain coumarin and should be safe to use.
An essential oil from the leaves is used as a food flavouring in sweets and
soft drinks. It has a strong vanilla-like flavour[183].
The leaves are added to vodka as a flavouring[238].
The plant is said to be used as a colouring agent[183] but no more details
are given.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Birthing aid; Febrifuge; Skin; VD.
A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers, coughs,
sore throats, chafing and venereal infections[222, 257]. It is also used to
stop vaginal bleeding and to expel afterbirth[222]. The stems can be soaked
in water and used to treat windburn and chapping and as an eyewash[257]. Some
caution is advised when using this plant internally, see the notes above on
toxicity[222]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later
use[238].
Smoke from the burning leaves has been inhaled in the treatment of
colds[257].
Other Uses
Basketry; Hair; Incense; Repellent; Soil stabilization; Strewing; Stuffing.
The dried leaves are used as an incense[46, 61, 99], they were formerly
also used as a strewing herb[1, 46, 238] and have been used as a stuffing in
pillows and mattresses[257]. They have also been used as an insect repellent
in the clothes cupboard where they impart a nice smell to the clothes[99,
238].
The leaves are used to make aromatic baskets[46, 61, 99, 169, 171]. The wet
leaves can be sewn together, dried until they are tight and then resin used
over the stitches to make a waterproof container[257].
The leaves can be soaked in water to make a tonic hair wash[257].
An essential oil distilled from the leaves is used in perfumery where it
acts as an excitant and fixative for other aromas[238].
The plant has a very aggressive root system and has been planted to
stabilize banks[74].
Cultivation details
Prefers a damp position in a rich soil but succeeds in most soils
including quite dry conditions[162]. Grows best in a sunny position[238].
The plants have a running root system and can spread aggressively when grown
in suitable conditions[74].
The plant, as it dries, emits a powerful scent of newly mown hay[245].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ and only just cover the seed[162].
Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks.
If the seed is in short supply it can be sown in the cold frame in the
spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual
pots and plant them out in early summer.
Division in spring or summer[162]. Very simple, virtually any part of the
root will regrow to make a new plant[K].
Scent
-
Plant: Dried
- The plant, as it dries, emits a powerful scent of newly mown hay.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Hierochloe alpina ssp. alpina (a possible synonym).
References for Hierochloe borealis (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.
[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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