HIEROCHLOE BOREALIS. 



91 



HIEROCHLOK BOREALIS. 



ROEMER AND SCHULTES. PARNELL. HOOKER AND GREVILLE. 



J. E. SMITH. LINDLEY. BABINGTON. REICHENBACH. 

 PLATE XXIX. A. 



Holcus borealis, 



' ' odora/us, 

 tt <f 



Hierochhe odorala, 



SCHRADER. 



LINN^US. SMITH. WILLDENOW. 



OEDER. SINCLAIR. WAHLENBERG. 



KOCH. 



The Holy Grass. 



Hierochloe Sacred Grass. 



Borealis North. 



HIEROCHLOE. Gmelin. The "Holy Grass" has a wide-spread panicle, 

 and derives its name from two Greek words, signifying Sacred Grass, because 

 according to Gmelin, it is on the sacred festivals in some parts of Prussia, 

 scattered before the doors of churches, being dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 

 Sir W. Hooker remarks that a similar custom still prevails at Norwich, 

 where the Acorus calamus, or "Sweet Sedge," is the favoured plant. 



Great Britain only possesses one species, namely, Hierochloe borealis, which 

 has been found in Scotland. It is an abundant Iceland plant. 



THIS very rare species, although one of our earliest, yet it is not 

 a valuable Grass. 



It is confined -to Scotland, having been found by the late Mr. Gr. 

 Don, in a mountain valley called Kella, near the Spittle of Glen Shee, 

 Forfarshire, and near Thurso, Caithness, in 1854, by Mr. Robert 

 Dick. 



Abroad it is native of Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Iceland, Italy, 

 France, Germany, Prussia, Kamtschatka, and Russian America. 



This \is the Grass used for strewing before the Prussian churches. 

 In Sweden it is hung over beds in the belief that it induces sleep. 



