Anthoxanthum odoratum L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: huang hua mao, xiang huang hua mao

English: scented vernal grass, spring grass, sweet vernalgrass, sweet-scent vernal grass

French: flouve odorante, foin d'odeur

Japanese: harugaya

Spanish: alesta olorosa, alpistillo, grama de olor

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Slender perennials, forming small tufts; culms erect or spreading, 30-60 cm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, hollow, glabrous, nodes darker than internodes, glabrous.  Sheaths 3-8 cm long, striate, shorter than internodes, glabrous or with weak retrorse hairs, ciliate at throat; ligule conspicuous, sometimes purple, membranous, 1.5-4 mm long; blades 5-20 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, glabrous or with scattered weak, soft hairs, conspicuously auriculate.  Inflorescence a spike-like, solitary, terminal, cylindrical panicle 3-8 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter, peduncle slender, smooth, 10-35 cm long, rachis obscured by the closely imbricate spikelets, the branches very short; spikelets subsessile, lanceoloid, 6.5-10 mm long; glumes membranous, glabrous or with scattered weak hairs, first glume ovate, acute, 3.5-4 mm long, 1-nerved, scabrous on the nerve, second glume ovate, acuminate, 6.5-8.5 mm long, 3-nerved, scabrous on nerves, scaberulous between the nerves; sterile lemmas subequal, oblong, 2.5-3.2 mm long, apex bifid, brownish appressed hirsute, first lemma awned from slightly below apex, the awn straight, ca. 6 mm long, the second lemma awned from near base, the awn geniculate, ca. 6 mm long; fertile floret 2-2.5 mm long, enclosed within the 2 sterile lemmas, lemma reddish to dark brown, glossy, broadly ovate, glabrous, acute; palea membranous, narrow, obtuse, ca. 1.5 mm long, wholly enclosed by the lemma.  Caryopsis linear, 1.3-2.5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1498, 1904).

Description of Anthoxanthum odoratum from Kew Gardens' GrassBase

Habitat/ecology:  This small, perennial bunchgrass forms extensive ground cover in open mesic and dry habitats at moderate to high elevations. It invades disturbed areas, preventing the reestablishment of native species.  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in pastures, disturbed areas in wet forest, and sometimes subalpine shrubland, 840-2,140 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1498, 1904).

Propagation:  Seed, dispersed by wind, water and animals.

Native range:  Eurasia; widely naturalized in temperate North America (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1498, 1904).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 11) Voucher cited: F.C. Allen 315 (CHR)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1498)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 44) Voucher cited: T. Flynn 2179 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1498)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1498) Voucher cited: Munro s. n. (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Snow, Neil/Davidse, Gerrit (2011) (p. 17) Voucher cited: U.S. Army 123 (BISH 738557)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 340) "Roadsides, waste land, pasture and tussock grassland, in scrub or forest clearings, sometimes in boggy, or sandy or rocky, stony ground; sea level to subalpine".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (p. 162)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 141)
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Meadows
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 191) subsp. odoratum, subsp. alpinum (A. & D. Love) Hult. and subsp. glabrescens Celakovsky
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 340) "Roadsides, waste land, pasture and tussock grassland, in scrub or forest clearings, sometimes in boggy, or sandy or rocky, stony ground; sea level to subalpine".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 141)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 28)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Meadows
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Très envahissant"
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Baret, Stephane/Rouget, Mathieu/Richardson, David M./Lavergne, Christophe/Egoh, Benis/Dupont, Joel/Strasberg, Dominique (2006) (p. 758)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 141)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Often introduced as a pasture grass.

Control:  Control information from the Bugwood Wiki.

Physical:  "Manual control includes hand pulling of individual plants and mowing.  Mowing should be carried out early in the season, before seeds are ripened".

Chemical:  "The herbicide dalapon has proved to be effective for control of this grass"  (Weber, 2003; p. 49).