What is "anthoxanthum"

Anthoxanthum, the vernal grasses or vernalgrasses (Latinised Greek for "yellow blossom"), is a genus of plants in the grass family.Jepson Manual Treatment

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.

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.

1. Anthoxanthum aethiopicum - Ethiopia
2. Anthoxanthum amarum - Spain, Portugal
3. Anthoxanthum aristatum - Mediterranean and neighboring areas from Madeira and the Canary Islands to the Aegean
4. Anthoxanthum borii - India
5. Anthoxanthum dregeanum - Cape Province of South Africa
6. Anthoxanthum ecklonii- South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi
7. Anthoxanthum gracila - Mediterranean from Morocco to the Aegean
8. Anthoxanthum hookeri - Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar
9. Anthoxanthum horsfieldii - Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Assam, Taiwan, Guizhou
10. Anthoxanthum japonicum - Honshu
11. Anthoxanthum madagascariense - Madagascar
12. Anthoxanthum nivale - mountains of central Africa ( Zaïre, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania)
13. 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
14. Anthoxanthum ovatum - Mediterranean from Spain to the Aegean
15. Anthoxanthum pallidum - Sichuan, Yunnan
16. Anthoxanthum sikkimense - Nepal, Yunnan, Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh
17. Anthoxanthum tongo - Cape Province of South Africa

numerous species now considered better suited to other genera. Most important is Hierochloe; others include Centotheca Crypsis Dichelachne Dimeria Festuca Perotis Saccharum