Fragrant Mariengras

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Fragrant Mariengras
Fragrant Mariengrass (Hierochloe odorata)

Fragrant Mariengrass ( Hierochloe odorata )

Systematics
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sweet grasses (Poaceae)
Subfamily : Pooideae
Genre : Hierochloe
Type : Fragrant Mariengras
Scientific name
Hierochloe odorata
( L. ) P.Beauv.
illustration

The scented Mariengrass ( Hierochloe odorata ), also known as scented Mariengrass , vanillagrass , sweetgrass or as bisongrass , is a coumarin-containing grass within the family of the sweetgrass (Poaceae). It smells aromatic like woodruff and was used in the veneration of the Virgin Mary , which the German name refers to. In North America it is also known as "Sweet Grass" or "Vanilla Grass". If the genus Hierochloe is included in Anthoxanthum , the species must be named Anthoxanthum nitens (Weber) Y.Schouten & Veldkamp .

etymology

The scientific name is of Greek origin and means "holy grass" according to hierós = holy; chloé = grass. The type of epithet odorátus, -a, -um is Latin and means fragrant, fragrant.

Distribution and location

The fragrant Mariengrass is widespread throughout Europe , Asia and North America , but is mostly only found scattered or rarely. It is a rare grass in wet, grassy locations in swamp forests , pipe grass meadows (Molinion societies), small sedge beds (Caricetalia fuscae societies) and on river banks.

It grows preferentially on moist to wet, mostly boggy but also sandy, moderately nutrient and base-rich, mostly nitrogen-poor, moderately acidic and humus-rich soils. Its ecological behavior can be classified as follows using the pointer values ​​according to Ellenberg : L-6, T-6, K-7, F-9, R-4, N-2, S-0.

inflorescence

description

The grass is a perennial herbaceous plant with long, thin rhizomes . It forms dense clumps or spots. The stalks are thin, grow upright and have only a few nodes . They reach heights between 20 and 50 centimeters. They are smooth and only slightly rough or sometimes smooth below the inflorescence . The ligules are blunt and about 2 to 4 millimeters long. The leaf sheaths are finely roughened and rounded on the back. The lower leaf blades are up to 10 millimeters wide and up to 30 centimeters long. They are slender, pointed, flat, sparsely hairy or bald and rough on the edges. The upper stem leaves are remarkably short. The undersides of the leaves are shiny green.

The inflorescences are loose, egg-shaped-oval panicles with winding branches. They become 4 to 10 inches long and up to 8 inches wide. The spikelet stalks are glabrous. The broadly elliptical, somewhat clumsy spikelets are about 4 millimeters long and three-flowered. They are green or purple at the base and golden brown upwards. The two lower spikelets are purely male, the upper one is bisexual. When ripe they break above the glumes , the individual flowers fall off closed. The broad, blunt, yellow-brown glumes are persistent and somewhat shorter or as long as the flowers. They are one to three-veined, keeled, dry-skinned and shiny. The lower unfurled lemmas are broadly elliptical, very obtuse and 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters long. They are five-nerved, rough and have short hair on the edges. The palea have two very finely rough keels. The upper lemmas are short-haired and three to five-nerved at the tip. The three stamens (anthers) are up to 3 millimeters long. The grass blooms from late March to May.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28 or 42.

Taxonomy

Hierochloe odorata (L.) P. Beauv. has the synonyms: Anthoxanthum nitens (Weber) Y.Schouten & Veldkamp , Poa nitens Weber , Holcus odoratus L. , Holcus borealis Schrad. , Hierochloe borealis (Schrad.) Roem. & Schult. , Anthoxanthum hirtum (cupboard) Y.Schouten & Veldkamp , Hierochloe arctica J.Presl .

Hazard and protection

The fragrant Mariengras is safe in Central and Europe. In Germany, however, it is classified as endangered (Category 3) in the Red List of Endangered Vascular Plants. The main causes of danger are fallow land, drainage and intensive grazing of previously extensively used fresh and wet meadows.

use

The lowest part of the leaves in particular has an intense woodruff aroma and is used in perfumes , tobacco , desserts and beverages (e.g. Żubrówka ). In some parts of Prussia, the grass was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and scattered in front of the church doors on festive days.

literature

  • WD Clayton, KT Harman & H. Williamson: World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval. 2002, online , accessed December 29, 2006.
  • Heinz Ellenberg , HE Weber, R. Düll, V. Wirth, W. Werner & D. Paulißen: Pointer values ​​of plants in Central Europe. Scripta Geobotanica 18, Verlag Erich Goltze, 1992. ISBN 3-88452-518-2
  • Henning Haeupler , Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany (= the fern and flowering plants of Germany. Volume 2). Published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
  • CE Hubbard: Grasses - Description, Distribution, Uses. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1985. ISBN 3-8001-2537-4 .
  • E. Klapp & WO v. Boberfeld: Pocket book of grasses. Recognition, determination, location and socialization, evaluation and use. Paul Parey Publishing House, Berlin, Hamburg, 1990. ISBN 3-489-72710-X
  • Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994. ISBN 3-8252-1828-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Anthoxanthum nitens. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  2. ^ R. Schubert & G. Wagner: Botanical dictionary. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-8252-1476-1
  3. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 262.
  4. ↑ according to Flora Web, accessed on December 29, 2006 ( online )

Web links

Commons : Fragrant Mariengras ( Hierochloe odorata )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files