Anthoxanthum odoratum L.

 Global description

Anthoxanthum odoratum is a perennial plant growing in spaced tufts, 30 to 60 cm high. The leaves are light green in color, 15 to 30 cm long and are linear. They are slightly hairy and rough to the touch. The ligule, 1 to 5 mm, is membranous. The inflorescence resembles a cylindrical spike, 3 to 12 cm long. The spikelets measure 7 to 10 mm, are sharp and more or less hairy. At maturity, the plant gives off a strong characteristic smell of chopped hay (coumarin).
 
First leaves
 
The first leaves are alternate with a rolled prefoliation. The sheath is glabrous, it has near the ligule a series of hairs, almost like moustache. The Ligule is membranous, about 1.5 mm. The lamina is linear to lanceolate, with long white scattered hairs. They have the characteristic odor of the plant.

General habit

Perennial herb, with a height of 30 to 100 cm. This plant comes in sparse tuft.
 
Underground system
 
The roots are fasciculate and fibrous. They produce a 'cut hay' smell.
 
Culm
 
The culm is erect, cylindrical with glabrous nodes.
 
Leaf
 
The leaves are alternate, light green. The sheath is cylindrical, almost glabrous. The ligule is membranous, truncate, sometimes torn. It is 1 to 5 mm high. The lamina is flat, mostly linear but sometimes lanceolate. It measures 5 to 30 cm long and 2 to 9 mm wide. The upper face of the lamina is covered with scattered white hairs, and is finely striated by many veins. The lower surface is dull and usually glabrous. The leaf base is lined with small soft hairs.
 
Inflorescence
 
The inflorescence is a panicle developed in a false cylindrical spike, 3 to 12 cm long, and rarely reduced to a simple raceme.
 
Flower
 
The spikelets, 7 to 10 mm long, are all similar, pedicellate, oblong to narrowly lanceolate, slightly compressed laterally and briefly aristate. The lower glume is half as long as the spikelet with one vein, the upper glume is as long as the spikelet with 3 veins. They are keeled, acute at the top but do not have awns. There are 3 flowers but only one is fertile. The two sterile lemmas are hairy, oblong, folded. The first lemma carries a straight awns, 2 to 3 mm long, inserted above the middle. The second lemma has a geniculate awn, 2 to 4 mm long, inserted below the middle. Three stamens are inserted into each sterile lemma. Lemma of fertile flower is smooth, dull and devoid of awns, generally shorter than those of sterile flowers. It is closely oblong to straight, 2.5 mm long.
 
Seed
 
The seed is oblong, slightly compressed laterally, 2 mm long. It is free in the lemmas.

https://www.gbif.org/species/2705975