Common name
Sweet Holygrass

Derivation
Hierochloë R.Br., Prodr. 208 (1810); from the Greek hieros (sacred) and chloë (grass), alluding to "strewing (H. odorata) before the doors of churches on festival days".

redolens- from the Latin redoleo (give off an odour). Inflorescences smell of coumarin.

Published in
Syst. Veg. 2: 514 (1817).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Rhizomes short. Basal leaf sheaths purple. Young shoots extravaginal. Culms erect, 36–100 cm tall, 3–5-noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 4–9 mm long, obtuse. Leaf-blades 8–45 cm long, 5–12 mm wide, rigid, aromatic. Leaf-blade surface ribbed (deeply), scaberulous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open, lanceolate, 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2-nate, 5–10 cm long. Panicle branches capillary, pilose.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels 1–7 mm long, ciliate. Fertile spikelets at least 3-flowered, comprising 1 fertile floret, without rhachilla extension, oblong or ovate, laterally compressed, 6–9 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar, thinner than fertile lemma, shiny, gaping. Lower glume ovate, 5–8 mm long, equalling upper glume, hyaline, 1-keeled, 1-nerved. Lower glume lateral nerves absent. Lower glume apex obtuse or acute. Upper glume ovate, 5–8.9 mm long, 110–180% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, hyaline, 1-keeled, 3-nerved. Upper glume apex obtuse or acute.

Florets
Basal sterile florets 2 or more, similar, with palea, attached to and deciduous with the fertile floret. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, 6.5 mm long, 100% of length of spikelet, chartaceous, 1-keeled, 5-nerved, scaberulous, ciliolate or ciliate on margins, entire or erose or dentate, 2-fid, obtuse, awned. Awn of lower sterile floret dorsal, 1.3–2.6 mm long. Lemma of upper sterile floret elliptic, ciliate on margins, entire or erose or dentate, 2-fid, awned. Awn of upper sterile floret 3.2–5 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate, 4–4.5 mm long, cartilaginous, glossy, (3–)5–7-nerved. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma margins convolute, covering most of palea. Lemma apex obtuse or acute, muticous. Palea elliptic, 1-nerved, 1-keeled. Lodicules 2. Anthers 2 (bisexual flowers) or 3 (male flowers), 1.4–3.5 mm long. Stigmas plumose. Ovary glabrous. Grain with adherent pericarp, ellipsoid.

Continental Distribution:
Tropical Asia, Australasia, South America, Antarctica.

Australian Distribution:
New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.

New South Wales: Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. Victoria: Grampians, Eastern Highlands, Snowfields, East Gippsland. Tasmania: Furneaux Group, North West, North East, Central Highlands, Ben Lomond, East Coast, South West, Mt Wellington.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Pooideae: Aveneae

Notes
Native. Tas., N.S.W. S from Barrington Tops, A.C.T. and Vic. New Guinea, New Zealand, South America. Usually in wet subalpine to alpine grasslands, also under light forest. Flowers Dec.–Feb.