Cuscus grass

Cuscus fan
MFA#1976.467

Description

A soft, curly, pleasant smelling grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) native to all tropical regions of Asia. Cuscus grass is used to make mats, hats, purses, fans, cushions, boxes, baskets, and small ornaments. The roots of the plant are used to produce a scented oil.

Synonyms and Related Terms

couscous; kuskus; khus-khus; laavancha; laamancha; laamaccha; lamajja; vetiver; vetivert; usheera (Sanskrit); Vetiveria zizanioides; Pennisetum typhoideum

Additional Images

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  Cuscus grass detail
  MFA#1976.467

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  Cuscus grass detail
  MFA#1976.467

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  Cuscus grass Vetiveria zizanioides

Resources and Citations

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997 Comment: Pennisetum typhoideum

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "vetiver." (Accessed 29 Sept. 2004).

• Website: http://www.kamleshayurveda.com/top/vetivert.htm

• Phytochemical database at http://www.vetiver.com/TVN_vetoil03.pdf