Anthoxanthum (Latinised Greek for "yellow blossom"), commonly known as hornworts, vernal grasses, or vernalgrasses, is a genus of plants in the grass family.Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 28 in LatinTropicos, Anthoxanthum L.Jepson Manual Treatment The generic name means 'yellow flower' in Botanical Latin, referring to the colour of the mature spikelets.Gledhill D. 1985. The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press.
The members of Anthoxanthum are widespread in temperate and subtropical parts of Africa and Eurasia, with a few species in tropical mountains. Some species have become naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas. Anthoxanthum odoratum is a common species of acidic grassland and bogs in northern Europe. All the species reportedly contain the compound coumarin, used medicinally in many countries.Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 336 黄花茅属 huang hua mao shu Anthoxanthum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 28. 1753Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Anthoxanthum
The genus Hierochloe is included in Anthoxanthum by some recent authors. Others, however, continue to treat them as separate genera, and we provisionally treat them as such here pending further research.Hope, Tom, & Gray, Alan, Grasses of the British Isles: BSBI Handbook No. 13, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2009, p 312. .
SpeciesThe Plant List search for Anthoxanthum Anthoxanthum aethiopicum - Ethiopia Anthoxanthum amarum - Spain, Portugal Anthoxanthum aristatum - Mediterranean and neighboring areas from Madeira and the Canary Islands to the Aegean Anthoxanthum borii - India Anthoxanthum dregeanum - Cape Province of South Africa Anthoxanthum ecklonii- South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi Anthoxanthum gracile - Mediterranean from Morocco to the Aegean Anthoxanthum hookeri - Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar Anthoxanthum horsfieldii - Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Assam, Taiwan, Guizhou Anthoxanthum japonicum - Honshu Anthoxanthum madagascariense - Madagascar Anthoxanthum nivale - mountains of central Africa (Zaïre, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) Anthoxanthum odoratum - widespread from Iceland to the Canary Islands to Mongolia; naturalized in North and South America, South Africa, Japan, East Asia, and various islands Anthoxanthum ovatum - Mediterranean from Spain to the Aegean Anthoxanthum pallidum - Sichuan, Yunnan Anthoxanthum redolens - Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and South America Anthoxanthum sikkimense - Nepal, Yunnan, Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh Anthoxanthum tongo - Cape Province of South Africa
formerly included numerous species now considered better suited to other genera. Most important is Hierochloe; others include Centotheca Crypsis Dichelachne Dimeria Festuca Perotis Saccharum
See also List of Poaceae genera
References