Anthoxanthum nitens subsp. nitens

Vanilla grass, Vanilla Grass, vanilla-grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Vanilla grass is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in northern California Ranges and Modoc Plateau in Shasta and Siskiyou counties, occurring in wet meadows at elevations of 1,500 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces golden-brown flowers in open, drooping grass clusters 5 to 8 centimeters long. Growing with tufted or rhizomatous stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall, it forms dense grass clumps with slender, flexible stems. Its leaf blades are 10 to 30 centimeters long, 2 to 8 millimeters wide, and typically flat or slightly rolled, with glabrous to softly hairy leaf sheaths. Its distinctive spikelets are 3 to 7.5 millimeters long, with lower florets covered in tan to golden-brown hairs that are often papillate.

Habitat: Wet sites, meadows

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1500-1800 m

Bioregions: n CaRH (Shasta, Siskiyou cos.)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.