- Grass of Parnassus is also the title of a book of poetry by Andrew Lang.
The
genus Parnassia, also known as
Grass of Parnassus or
bog-stars, are plants in the family
Celastraceae. The plants occur in
arctic and
alpine habitats, as well as in
dune systems and
fens, swamps,
wet meadows, open seepage areas, moist woods, and across the
Northern Hemisphere. It is actually not a
grass, but an herbaceous
dicot. The stalk of the plant can reach up to , the leaves up to and the petals can be up to wide. The flower has five white petals with light green venation. There are five three-pronged sterile stamens, each tipped with drop-like, false nectaries, which (along with the visual cue of veins) attract pollinating flies and bees.