Scented Grass

Perennial forming tough tussocks. Culms robust, up to 1.5 m tall, scabrid below panicle. Leaf sheaths strongly keeled at base; leaf blades linear, glaucous, up to 30 × 0.2–0.4 cm, sparsely to densely hispid with tubercle-based hairs or glabrous, apex subacute to acuminate; ligule ca. 0.5 mm, a ciliate rim. Panicle open to contracted, 6–25 cm, purplish; branches stiffly ascending to loosely spreading, 3–15 cm, tipped by a single triad or also with 1–4 spikelet pairs below the triad. Sessile spikelet ca. 7 mm; callus subacute, 1.3–1.7 mm, bearded with golden hairs, obliquely attached to branch apex; lower glume narrowly oblong, tuberculate-spinose along inturned flanks, sometimes hispidulous at apex, apex truncate or 2-toothed; upper glume hispid on keel toward apex, awnless, mucronate or with an awn up to 10 mm; upper lemma minutely 2-toothed, awned; awn geniculate, 1.2–3.5 cm, column puberulous. Pedicelled spikelet staminate, 7–11 mm; lower glume with 3.5–7 mm awn. Pedicel 2/3–3/4 length of sessile spikelet, glabrous. Fl. and fr. autumn.

S. Europe, N. Africa, temperate Himalaya (Simla to Bhutan), Assam (Khasia & Naga Hills).

S Xizang, Yunnan (Menghai) [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan; SW Asia (Caucasus, Iraq), Europe].

800-2900 m

Mountain slopes; ca. 2500 m.

Andropogon gryllus Linnaeus, Cent. Pl. 2: 33. 1756; A. echinulatus Nees ex Steudel; A. gryllus subsp. echinulatus (Nees ex Steudel) Hackel; Chrysopogon echinulatus (Nees ex Steudel) W. Watson; C. gryllus subsp. echinulatus (Nees ex Steudel) Cope; Rhaphis gryllus (Linnaeus) Trinius.

Chrysopogon gryllus is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae, native to Europe and tropical and temperate Asia.

The grass grows to 50–150 cm (20–59 in) in height. Spikelets are associated in threes, of which the fertile one is unisexual with the other two staminal or not completely developed. The fruit is corn seed.