Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides (Linn) Nash.) or Khus of family Poaceae, is a perennial grass which can grow up to 1 to 2 metres high and form wide clumps. the plant stems are erect and stiff and the leaves are 120-150 cm long and 0.8 cm wide and rather rigid.

Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae, native to India. Vetiver is most closely related to Sorghum but shares many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as lemongrass, citronella, and palmarosa.

The central component of The Vetiver System is Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides), a sterile, non-invasive tropical bunchgrass. It is used throughout the tropics in a wide-range of applications including erosion control, degraded land remediation, soil conservation and runoff retention, remediation of polluted land and water bodies, in constructed wetland sanitation systems, for supplemental fodder, as thatch, for many handicrafts, for biofuel, and as a source of expensive essential oil. Vetiver Grass is a safe and valuable addition to any smallholder farm or agroforestry system as well as for those working in infrastructure. Vetiver contains an oil that repels insects.