Plantae > Tracheophyta > Liliopsida > Poales > Poaceae > Chrysopogon > Chrysopogon zizanioides

Chrysopogon zizanioides (vetiver)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver (derived from the Tamil: வெட்டிவேர் veṭṭivēr) is a perennial bunchgrass of the Poaceae family, native to India. In western and northern India, it is popularly known as khus. Vetiver is most closely related to Sorghum but shares many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus, C. winterianus), and palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii).
View Wikipedia Record: Chrysopogon zizanioides

Attributes

Bloom Period [1]  Late Summer
Drought Tolerance [1]  High
Edible [2]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Fire Tolerance [1]  High
Flower Type [2]  Hermaphrodite
Frost Free Days [1]  1 year
Fruit/Seed Abundance [1]  High
Fruit/Seed Begin [1]  Fall
Fruit/Seed End [1]  Fall
Growth Form [1]  Bunch
Growth Period [1]  Year Round
Growth Rate [1]  Rapid
Leaf Type [1]  Evergreen
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Propagation [1]  Bare Root, Container, Seed, Sprig
Root Depth [1]  24 inches (61 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [1]  Slow
Seed Vigor [1]  Low
Shape/Orientation [1]  Erect
Structure [3]  Grass
Usage [2]  The aromatic roots are used in pot-pourri and perfumes; The essential oil from the roots is used in perfumery; The plant has deep-rooted and far-ranging roots that make it a valuable plant for controlling soil erosion in cultivated fields. It is often planted along the contour lines for this purpose.
Vegetative Spread Rate [1]  Moderate
Flower Color [1]  Purple
Foliage Color [1]  Green
Fruit Color [1]  Brown
Fall Conspicuous [1]  Yes
Height [2]  6.56 feet (2 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [1]  USDA Zone: 8 Low Temperature: 10 F° (-12.2 C°) → 20 F° (-6.7 C°)
Light Preference [1]  Mixed Sun/Shade
Soil Acidity [1]  Mostly Acid
Soil Fertility [1]  Infertile
Water Use [1]  Low
Screening - Summer [1]  Dense
Screening - Winter [1]  Moderate
View Plants For A Future Record : Chrysopogon zizanioides

Predators

Bos frontalis gaurus (gaur)[4]
Rhinoceros unicornis (Indian rhinoceros)[5]

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 3Kattge, J. et al. (2011b) TRY - a global database of plant traits Global Change Biology 17:2905-2935
♦ 4Studies on the food and feeding habits of Gaur Bos gaurus H. Smith (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in two protected areas of Goa, Suman D. Gad & S.K. Shyama, Journal of Threatened Taxa | 1(2): 128-130 | February 2009
♦ 5Abundance of food plant species and food habits of Rhinoceros unicornis Linn. in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India, Pradip Konwar, Malabika Kakati Saikia & P.K. Saikia, Journal of Threatened Taxa | September 2009 | 1(9): 457-460
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0