Common name: Quaking Grass, Giant Shivery Grass
Briza maxima L. APNI* 
Description: Glabrous annual to 0.6 m high.
Leaves with sheath smooth, rather loose; ligule oblong, blunt, 2–5 mm long; blade linear, tapering to an acute apex, 3–7 mm wide.
Inflorescence narrow-oblong, lax, or reduced to a raceme, 2–10 cm long. Spikelets ovate, drooping on filiform pedicels, 9–17-flowered. Glumes broad-ovate, obtuse, dark brown or purplish. Lemmas closely imbricate, very broadly cordate-ovate, shortly and obtusely acuminate, 6–8 mm long, upper ones silky-pubescent. Paleas broad-obovate, 4 mm long, winged, the wings densely ciliolate.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Common in disturbed areas. Native of Medit. region.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *SWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & S. M. Hastings
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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