logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Anthoxanthum occidentale  (Buckley) Veldkamp
Califonria sweet grass,   Vanilla grass
Anthoxanthum occidentale is a perennial grasslike herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Hierochloe occidentalis
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
bloom graphic
Bloom Period
Genus: Anthoxanthum
Family: Poaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Communities: Closed-cone Pine Forest, Redwood Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF
Alternate Names:
JEFHierochloe occidentalis
PLANTSHierochloe occidentalis
Information about  Anthoxanthum occidentale from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (HIOC)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

Anthoxanthum: from the Greek anthos for "flower," and xanthos, "yellow," alluding to the color of the ripened spikelets (contributed by Cynthia Powell)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2023. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 06/03/2023).