Thicket/ Velvet Panic Grass

COMMON NAME: Velvet Grass

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Woolly Velvet grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Holcus lanatus

FAMILY: Poaceae

COMMUNITY: Edge

STATUS: Naturalized from Europe

LIFESPAN: Perennial

HEIGHT: 1 to 3 ½ feet

FLOWERING TIME: May to June

FRUITING TIME: Late May to early July

DISTRIBUTION: Newfoundland to Georgia ~ Statewide in New Jersey

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Single papery flower, almost transparent ~ Gray-green velvety leaves, flat, short ~ Inflorescence (flower cluster) wispy, pale green to purple grows in tufts ~ Entire plant pale green, pubescent (covered with short hairs). Consider the often quoted rhyme when identifying grasses (Poaceae family): “Sedges have edges, Rushes are round, Grasses have joints from their tips to the ground.”

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Poaceae family is commonly called the grass family. The common name “Velvet Grass” refers to the velvety texture of the leaves and inflorescence. Velvet Grass is a weed of sterile or sandy, moist, open ground of fields, meadows, and waste places. Velvet Grass may be poisonous to livestock when not fully dry. Velvet Grass seeds are eaten by the Common Goldfinch and other small songbirds.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.