Sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum

Features

Anthoxanthum odoratum, known as sweet vernal grass, is a short-lived perennial grass.

Species	Perrenial
Living space	Meadow
Size	25-40 cm

Description

Anthoxanthum odaoratum grass grows in tufts with stems 25–40 cm tall, and short, broad green leaves 3–5 mm wide, which are slightly hairy. It flowers quite early in the season, with flower spikes of 4–6 centimetres long and crowded spikelets of 6–10 mm, oblong shaped, which can be quite dark when young. The lower lemmas have projecting awns. The ligules are quite long, up to 5 mm, blunt, with hairy fringes around the side. The scent is particularly strong when dried, and is due to coumarin, a glycoside, and benzoic acid – it smells like fresh hay with a hint of vanilla. The seed head is bright yellow in color.