California Sweetgrass

Hierochloe occidentalis

California sweetgrass is a fragrant, vanilla-scented woodland grass of the Pacific states, spreading gently in moist shade. Culturally significant and pleasantly aromatic.

Family: Poaceae
Type: grass
Lifespan: perennial
Height: 1–3 ft
Spacing: 1–1.5 ft apart
Light: sun, part shade
Soil moisture: moist
Soil pH: acidic, neutral
Bloom: April, May
Bloom colors: green, brown
Wildlife value: songbirds, larval host, mammals
Landscape uses: specimen, border, erosion control, naturalizing
Native states: CA, OR