Hierochloe odorata

"Holy grass" and "Vanilla grass" redirect here. For the Eurasian vernal grass, see Anthoxanthum odoratum.

Hierochloe odorata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Hierochloe
Species:
H. odorata
Binomial name
Hierochloe odorata
Synonyms
Sweet grass photographed in British Columbia, Canada 2007

Hierochloe odorata or Anthoxanthum nitens[1] (commonly known as sweet grass, manna grass, Mary's grass or vanilla grass, and as holy grass in the UK,[3] bison grass e.g. by Polish vodka producers[4]) is an aromatic herb native to northern Eurasia and North America. It is considered sacred by many Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. It is used as a smudge in herbal medicine and in the production of distilled beverages (e.g., Żubrówka, Wisent). It owes its distinctive sweet scent to the presence of coumarin.

This variety of grass is distinct from the species commonly known as buffalo grass in Australia and the United States (Stenotaphrum secundatum and Bouteloua dactyloides, respectively).

  1. ^ a b Hope, Tom, & Gray, Alan, Grasses of the British Isles: BSBI Handbook No. 13, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2009, p. 311. ISBN 978-0-901158-42-0.
  2. ^ "Hierochloe arctica J.Presl | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ^ Krasińska, M.; Krasińska, Z. (2013). "Food and Use of the Environment". European Bison. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 157–179. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-36555-3_14. ISBN 978-3-642-36554-6.