A name for several different plants with sword-shaped leaves, as the sword-lily (Gladiolus), Arenaria (Spergularia) segetalis, Melilotus segetalis or sulcata, and various grasses and sedges, as the reed canary-grass Phalaris arundinacea, Arundo conspicua of New Zealand, and Cladium psittacorum of Australia.
1598. Florio, Gladolo, an herbe called great Galangall or swordgrasse.
1647. Hexham, I. (Herbs), Sedge, or Sword-grasse, Water-lisch.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Acorus, The false Acorus is the common Sword-grass.
1749. [see b].
1823. Blackw. Mag., XIV. 190. A sort of long sword-glass that grows about marshes and the sides of lakes.
1833. Tennyson, May Queen, II. vii. When … the summer airs blow cool On the oat-grass and the sword-grass, and the bulrush in the pool.
1859. Mayne, Expos. Lex., Sword-grass, common name for the Phasganium.
1872. A. Domett, Ranolf, X. ii. 172. The great plumes far and wide of the sword-grass aspire.
b. attrib. in collectors’ names for moths of the genus Calocampa.
1749. B. Wilkes, Eng. Moths & Butterflies, 8. The Sword-grass moth. Mr. Rosel informs us, That the Caterpillar of this Fly feeds on the Orache;… I once took one of these Caterpillars, full grown, feeding on the Sword-grass in the Marshes at Rotherhith.
1832. J. Rennie, Butterfl. & M., 65. The Sword Grass (C[alocampa] exoleta …) appears in April or May, and the middle of October.
