soft-grass
velvetgrass
holcus latin

Creeping Soft-grass (Holcus mollis)

Holcus (or Soft-grass) is a genus of eight species of grasses, native to Europe, Atlantic Ocean islands, Africa and western Asia.

Cattle do not eat the rare plant and may in fact help clear the land of invasive non-native plants, such as velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus).

Larvae feed on Holcus species.

In North America, Holcus lanatus is an invasive species in native grasslands and disrupts other ecosystem also.

Other food plants include Sorghum halepense, Paspalum, Panicum, Holcus and Adropogon.

O. viridulus feeds on grass from the genera Dactylis, Agrostis, Anthoxanthum, Lolium and Holcus.

The larvae feed on Agrostis, Bromus pannonicus, Festuca arvernensis, Holcus, Koeleria glauca and Koeleria macrantha.

The larvae feed on Agrostis stolonifera, Arrhenatherum elatius, Avenula pubescens, Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca, Holcus mollis and Poa.

The larvae feed on Alopecurus, Anthoxanthum, Avena, Briza, Bromus, Dactylis glomerata, Holcus, Koeleria and Poa species.

The larvae feed on Avena, Avenula pubescens, Bromus erectus, Calamagrostis epigejos, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca and Holcus mollis.

Larvae have been recorded on Agrostis, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Carex, Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca, Holcus lanatus, Phalaris arundinacea and Poa pratensis, but Deschampsia cespitosa is the main hostplant.

Uredinial/telial stages also occur on a wide range of grass species (Poaceae) in the genera Agrostis, Arrhenatherum, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Elymus, Festuca, Glyceria, Holcus, Hordeum, Lolium, Poa and Schedonorus etc..

The larvae feed on Agrostis, Bromus, Dactylis, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Holcus, Koeleria cristata, Poa annua, Poa badensis, Poa nemoralis, Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis, Trisetum fuscum and Triticum.

The San Mateo County populations occurs in small, scattered native grassland sites on Montara Mountain and are currently threatened with extinction by the encroaching invasive European weed grasses like Brachypodium, Vulpia, Holcus and two species of Briza or rattlesnake grass, which crowd out the plants.