Big Quakinggrass

Nile region.

Mediterranean region, but escaping from cultivation and now widely naturalized in temperate regions.

Introduced decorative species.

Annual.

An extremely attractive grass widely cultivated as an ornamental (Large Quaking-grass) and frequently escaping.

This is a very attractive ornamental grass with a panicle of relatively few large spikelets. It is widely cultivated and an established introduction in many warm-temperate countries.

Annual. Culms solitary or loosely tufted, erect or geniculate at base, 20–60 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous; leaf blades thin, 4–20 cm × 3–8 mm, margins scabrid, otherwise smooth, apex acute; ligule 2–5 mm, obtuse. Panicle loose, nodding, 7–10 cm, sparingly branched with few pendant spikelets; branches inserted singly, scaberulous, sometimes with only 1 spikelet; pedicels hairlike, shorter or longer than spikelet, drooping. Spikelets ovate, ca. 1.2 × 1 cm, tinged reddish brown, florets 7–20; lower glume 5–6 mm, 5-veined, upper glume 6–7 mm, 7–9-veined, margins purple or tawny, apex broadly rounded; lemmas very broadly ovate, wider than long, lowest 7–8 mm, 7–9-veined, glabrous or appressed-pubescent; palea obovate, 1/2–2/3 length of lemma, back glabrous, keels pubescent. Anthers ca. 2 mm. 2n = 14.

Annual; culms 10-60 cm high, loosely tufted or solitary, erect or geniculately ascending, slender. Leaf-blades 5-20 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, flat, minutely rough on the margins; ligule 2-5 mm long. Panicle 3-10 cm long, loose, nodding, bearing up to 12 spikelets on capillary pedicels. Spikelets 7-20-flowered, ovate to oblong, plump, 14-25 mm long and 8-15 mm wide, glabrous or minutely hairy, pale green, silvery or suffused with reddish-brown or purple; lemma 6-8 mm long, very broad, rounded on the back, obtuse.

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab, introduced); Mediterranean region; naturalised in many warm temperate countries.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: May-August.

Gardens. Frequently cultivated in China [N Africa, S Europe].

Annual, to 60 cm. Inflorescence of usually 3-8 large spikelets, secund, drooping at the apex. Spikelets large, 10-25 mm. Glumes hyaline, shining, broadly ovate.

Local

Mediterranean region

Annuals, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf s heath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades scabrous, roughened, or wrinkled, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence simple spikes, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence lax, widely spreading, branches drooping, pendulous, Inflorescence with 2-10 branches, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet 3-10 mm wide, Spikelets with 8-40 florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes 8-15 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma 8-15 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma body or surface hairy, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma mucronate, very shortly beaked or awned, less than 1-2 mm, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma saccate or swollen, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea shorter than lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis.

Briza maxima is a species of the grass genus Briza. It is native to Northern Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe and is cultivated or naturalised in the British Isles, the Azores, Australasia, the western United States, Central and South America, and Hawaii.

This species has a large number of common names, including big quaking grass, great quaking grass, greater quaking-grass, large quaking grass, blowfly grass, rattlesnake grass, shelly grass, rattle grass, and shell grass.

It grows to a height of 60 cm. The seeds and leaves are edible.