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Dieren en planten

Plants   Rue-leaved saxifrage   Grass of Parnassus   Dune flora   White flowers   

Mens en Milieu

Nature policy   Flora and Fauna Act   Red Lists   

Grass of Parnassus

size:

15 to 30 centimeters

color:

flowers: white

blossoms:

June till October

pollination: 

pollination by insects, particularly flies

reproduction:

seeds spread by wind

life span:

perennial

  • Dut: Parnassia
  • Lat: Parnassia palustris
  • Eng: Grass of Parnassus
  • Fren: Parnassie
  • Ger: Sumpf-Herzblatt (Studentenröschen)
  • Dan: Almindelig leverurt
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Grass of Parnassus, Foto Fitis, www.fotofitis.nl

Grass of Parnassus

There is something magical about the plant Grass of Parnassus. Maybe it's because of its beautiful pure white flowers intersected with decorative green veins. Or because it was once so common in the Netherlands but is now so rare. In fact, it is legally protected in this country. The name itself is majestic, named after the Greek mountain Parnassus which was dedicated to the god Apollo. Grass of Parnassus grows in clumps, each plant producing one flower flaunting at the top of a long bare stem.

  • Distribution and habitat

    Grass of Parnassus grows in cold moderate regions in the northern hemisphere. It grows on damp nutrient-poor soils, such as young dune slacks and barren grasslands. The plant used to be very common throughout the Netherlands, but is now only found in larger amounts on the Wadden Islands and locally in the southwestern delta region.