Common Name: GRASS FAMILY
Habit: Annual to woody perennial herb; roots generally fibrous. Stem: generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear, parallel-veined; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base. Inflorescence: various (of generally many spikelets). Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1--many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally +- transparent, +- enclosed by lemma. Flower: generally bisexual, minute; perianth vestigial; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose. Fruit: grain, sometimes achene- or utricle-like.
Genera In Family: 650--900 genera; +- 10550 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials). Note: Generally wind-pollinated. Achnatherum, Ampelodesmos, Hesperostipa, Nassella, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Ptilagrostis moved to Stipa; Elytrigia, Leymus, Pascopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Taeniatherum to Elymus; Hierochloe to Anthoxanthum; Lolium, Vulpia to Festuca; Lycurus to Muhlenbergia; Monanthochloe to Distichlis; Pleuraphis to Hilaria; Rhynchelytrum to Melinis. The following taxa (in genera not included here), recorded in California from historical collections or reported in literature, are extirpated, lacking vouchers, or not considered naturalized: Acrachne racemosa (Roth) Ohwi, Allolepis texana (Vasey) Soderstr. & H.F. Decker, Amphibromus nervosus (Hook. f.) Baill., Axonopus affinis Chase, Axonopus fissifolius (Raddi) Kuhlm., Coix lacryma-jobi L., Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz., Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr., Eustachys distichophylla (Lag.) Nees, Gaudinia fragilis (L.) P. Beauv., Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henrard, Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Phyllostachys bambusoides Siebold & Zuccarini, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Branner & Coville, Schizachyrium cirratum (Hack.) Wooton & Standl., Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Themeda quadrivalvis (L.) Kuntze, Thysanolaena latifolia (Hornem.) Honda, Tribolium obliterum (Hemsl.) Renvoize, Zea mays L., Zizania palustris L. var. interior (Fassett) Dore, Zoysia japonica Steud. Paspalum pubiflorum E. Fourn., Paspalum quadrifarium Lam., are now reported for southern California (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761--770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics.
eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted
Scientific Editor: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.

Common Name: VERNAL GRASS, VANILLA GRASS
Habit: Annual, perennial herb, cespitose, sometimes rhizomatous. Stem: ascending to erect, 1--10 dm. Leaf: cauline or mostly basal, fragrant; auricles present or not; ligule membranous; blade flat or rolled, glabrous or hairy. Inflorescence: panicle- or spike-like. Spikelet: subsessile, laterally compressed; glumes > florets, = or not, tip acute, 1- or 3-veined; florets 3, lower 2 sterile or staminate, upper bisexual, breaking apart above glumes, florets falling as 1 unit; lemma of lower florets > upper floret, tip 2-forked or -lobed, hairy, 3-veined, awned at or below middle or awn 0; fertile lemma 3--7-veined, glabrous or hairy, awn 0; palea 0 in lower florets, present and < lemma in fertile floret, 1-veined.
Etymology: (Greek: flower + yellow, referring to golden color of mature inflorescence) Note: As treated here, the genus including Hierochloe, which is readily distinguishable in North America, but not in Asia and southern hemisphere. Fresh leaves of some species used for fragrance in churches on saints' days and as incense by Native Americans. Anthoxanthum hirtum (Schrank) Y. Schouten & Veldcamp reported from northern California; records lacking.
eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr.
Reference: Allred & Barkworth 2003 FNANM 25:758--764
Unabridged Reference: Schouten & Veldkamp 1985 Blumea 30:319--351; Weimarck 1971 Bot Not 124:129--175