Anthoxanthum odoratum L.

Graminae

Synonyms

Common names

Sweet vernal grass (English), Flouve odorante (French), Gerneines ruchgras (German).

Description

Perennial plant, small size, hairy, fragant (coumarin), cespitous. Stems erect, 10 - 60 (- 80) cm high. Blade rolled when young, wide (3 - 5 mm). Ligule rather long, sharp, often purple spotted. Auricles transformed in hairs located on the top of the sheath. Panicle-like inflorescence, 3 - 7 (- 10) cm high, more or less compact and then spike-like. Spikelets with one single fertile flower and 2 sterile rudiments. Glumes hairless or hairy. Lemma awned. The weight of 1000 seeds is 0.40 to 0.63 g (small seeds). Chromosome number: 2n = 20. Physiological peculiarities: maximum number of leaves per tiller: 4.

Temperature

Large climate range. Very resistant to cold and heat.

Water

Good resistance to drought. Hardly sensitive to moisture.

Soil

Optimum on dry soils but also frequent on well drained or even wet soils. Restricted to nutrient poor soils especially in phosphorus. More abundant on acid soils than on basic soils. Very large range for the soil texture.

Distribution

Native to Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa. Has become susbcosmopolitan in temperate regions. From the coast to alpine levels in mountain areas.

References