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| ## northern sweetgrass {#northern-sweetgrass .Title-Header}           |
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| *Hierochloe hirta* (Schrank) Borbas ssp. *arctica* (J. Presl) G.      |
| Weim.                                                                 |
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| Plant Symbol = HIHIA                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Rose Lake Plant Materials Center

![Color image of Northern Sweetgrass (Hierochloe hirta
arctica)](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.9in" height="2.175196850393701in"}

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Cultural*: The cultural uses of sweetgrass include ceremonial incense,
perfume, hair wash, bedding, basketry, dermatological aid, cold remedy,
cough medicine, eyewash, febrifuge, respiratory aid, analgesic,
insecticide, veterinary aid, decoration and adornment.

Because of the sweet, vanilla-like fragrance that develops once the
plant has been harvested and begins to dry the use of sweetgrass as
incense and fragrance is fairly ubiquitous among Native American tribes.
The longer leaves are often braided and burned for religious and peace
ceremonies, to invoke good power, and for various other rituals of
cultural significance. In addition, sweetgrass has been utilized for
several medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Whether alone, as adornment and
perfume, or soaked in water for tea and other solutions the therapeutic
applications of sweetgrass are scattered throughout the tribes. Another
traditional use of this

invoke good power, and for various other rituals of cultural
significance. In addition, sweetgrass has been utilized for several
medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Whether alone, as adornment and
perfume, or soaked in water for tea and other solutions the therapeutic
applications of sweetgrass are scattered throughout the tribes. Another
traditional use of this plant, particularly among the people of the
Great Lakes and Northeast, is in handicrafts. Sweetgrass is often
employed to craft or decorate baskets, bowls, trays and mats.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

Sweetgrass is a native perennial grass. The culms are semi-erect, up to
30 inches tall and arise from slender, creeping rhizomes. Leaves are
few, rough-edged and have shiny, hairless undersides. Often it has a
reddish-purple color near the base of the plant. The highly prized
longer leaves that grow on sterile shoots reach 18+ inches in length.
The inflorescence is an open, pyramid-shaped, golden brown panicle with
slender branches. Spikelets have 3 florets with awnless lemmas; glumes
are thin, translucent and nearly equal in length. The fruit is a
caryopsis.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Sweetgrass is circumpolar, being native to both the western and eastern
hemispheres. In North America its extensive range traverses the northern
regions from Alaska to Newfoundland, moving down to New England, across
the Great Lakes region and the upper Midwest to Oregon, and into the
Southwest. In the Great Lakes, Northeastern and Midwestern regions
sweetgrass usually inhabits moist ground on shores (fresh or brackish),
meadows, low prairies, at the edges of woods, bogs and marshes.
Normally, it is not found in pure stands but among other grasses and
shrubs in mid-successional communities.

For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Sweetgrass spreads vigorously by often-deep creeping rhizomes. In the
spring these rhizomes produce inconspicuous fruiting stems with sparse,
short leaves. Longer leaves develop later from separate sterile basal
shoots. Although sweetgrass can reproduce by seed, it is mostly
infertile, producing few seedheads that contain few seeds. This species
is extremely cold hardy. It will go dormant in cold weather and resprout
once ground temperatures reach 40 ^o^F. For the Great Lakes,
Northeastern and Midwestern regions flowering begins in the spring.

Sweetgrass development from seed is very slow. This coupled with the
infertile nature of the species explains why plant division is the most
successful method of reproducing sweetgrass. Dividing a plant is
accomplished by separating the individual propagules that have developed
from the rhizomes of a spreading plant. Each propagule can then be
placed in a container for further separation or future planting. Newly
separated plants will do best if placed in the shade for 2--3 weeks
while their roots establish. After this, transplant at 1-foot spacings
into areas of partial shade to full sun.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

As sweetgrass is not drought tolerant, keep the soil moist but not
saturated. Fertilize with a balanced lawn-starter 2-3 times during the
establishment year and years following harvests. Organic fertilizers may
also be used at 5 lbs. per 100 square feet. Sweetgrass should be weeded
at least every other year.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="3.0in" height="2.25in"}

Longer leaves of the sterile shoots may be harvested several times
during the year, however, the mid-season growth is considered to be
superior. These leaves are gathered by grasping the shoots firmly near
the ground and pulling until they break from the rootstock an inch or
two below the surface of the soil.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Tony Bush*, Agronomist, USDA NRCS Rose Lake Plant Materials Center,
East Lansing, Michigan

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060801 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060801-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*