Large Quaking-grass

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Large Quaking-grass - Gary Clark | Large Quaking-grass - Gary Clark

Briza maxima


Slender bright green tufted grass to 0.5 cm tall. Flat broad hairless leaves to 20 cm long with rough margins


Details
Flora Type
Grasses
Other Common Names
Blowfly Grass
Distinctive Features

Flowerheads are plump, hanging and heart-shaped, > 10 mm long with up to twenty heads in a cluster.

Biology

Annual. Sandy soils and disturbed places such as track margins but also in native grasslands and woodlands. Very common and invasive introduced weed that can displace native orchids and herbs within a few years. The seeds become abundant in the soil and can regenerate profusely after autumn burning.

Native Status
Introduced
Flowering Time

Aug-Dec

Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Poales
Family
Poaceae
Genus
Briza
Species
maxima

Native to southern Europe. Being an annual means that this weed can be controlled within a few seasons by hand weeding or mechanical control before the plant sets seed.


Interesting Facts
Similar Species

B. maxima is larger than B. minor. The flower/seed clusters (spikelets) distinguish them from each other. B. maxima has fewer, larger flower/seedheads than B. minor. B. maxima spikelets are 10-20 mm in length, while those of B. minor are only 4-5 mm long.

Native Status
Introduced