Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations:

(≡ homotypic synonym, = heterotypic synonym, - autonym, I invalid designation)

• (≡) Anatherum zizanioides (L.) Hitchc. & Chase
• (=) Andropogon muricatus Retz.
• (=) Andropogon odoratus Steud., nom. inval.
• (I) Andropogon squarrosus auct.
• (≡) Andropogon zizanioides (L.) Urb.
• Basionym: Phalaris zizanioides L.
• (≡) Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash

Common names:

• cuscus grass  (Source: Use Pl WT Afr) - English
• khus-khus  (Source: CRC MedHerbs ed2) - English
• khus-khus grass  (Source: NRCS Cons Pl Mat) - English
• vetiver  (Source: Herbs Commerce ed2) - English
• vetiver grass  (Source: NRCS Cons Pl Mat) - English
• chiendent odorant  (Source: Pl Res SEAs) - French
• vétiver  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• Vetivergras  (Source: Dict Rehm) - German
• khas-khas  (Source: Dict Rehm) - India
• capim-de-cheiro  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• capim-sândalo  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• patchuli-falso  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• zacate violeta  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• vetivergräs  (Source: Kulturvaxtdatabas) - Swedish

Economic Importance:

• Environmental: boundary/barrier/support (fide Vetiver grass: a thin green line against erosion. 1993, National Research Council) erosion control (fide Vetiver grass: a thin green line against erosion. 1993, National Research Council)
• Materials:
• Medicines: folklore (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2, as Vetiveria zizanioides; Herbs Commerce ed2, as Vetiveria zizanioides)

Distributional Range:

Native

Asia-Tropical

• INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, [Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal] Pakistan, [Punjab] Sri Lanka
• INDO-CHINA: Indochina, Myanmar, Thailand


Cultivated

Africa

• NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria

Asia-Temperate

• CHINA: China

Northern America

• United States (s.)

Southern America

• CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica


Naturalized

Australasia

• AUSTRALIA: Australia

Southern America

• CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica

References:

1. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource). Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
2. Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
3. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
4. Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
5. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
6. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
7. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: as native
8. George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
9. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
10. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
11. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
12. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
13. Panel on Vetiver, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council. 1993. Vetiver grass: a thin green line against erosion. 11.
14. Personal Care Products Council. INCI
15. Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status.
16. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Vetiveria zizanioides
17. Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:522-523.
18. Villaseñor, J. L. & F. J. Espinoza-Garcia. 2004. The alien flowering plants of Mexico. Diversity & Distrib. 10:113-123. Note: = Vetiveria zizaniodes
19. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2024. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://gringlobal.iita.org/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=424704. Accessed 1 July 2024.