Holy-Grass is a very rare, highly localised perennial, notable for its distinct vanilla aroma when dried. It is only found naturally occurring in Scotland on the banks of the River Thurso in Caithness, Loch Leven, and scattered across coastal marshes. It gets its common English name from the old Northern European custom of scattering it across church floors and pilgrimage paths on Holy days. It was also placed between Bible pages so the congregation would have a sweet scent rising from their scriptures during service.
These cultural practices tie into the Gaelic name for Holy-Grass, feur-Moire, which translates to ‘Mary’s grass’, connecting the plant with the Virgin Mary.
