Briza maxima

Uses as Product: Berry/Nut/Seed Product: No • Christmas Tree Product: No • Fodder Product: Yes • Fuelwood Product: None • Lumber Product: No • Naval Store Product: No • Nursery Stock Product: No • Post Product: No • Protein Potential: Medium • Pulpwood Product: No • Veneer Product: No

Edibility: Palatable Browse Animal: Low • Palatable Graze Animal: High • Palatable Human: No • Toxicity: None

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 1:70. 1753

Name verified on 06-May-1992 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 19-Apr-2000

Physical Description

Family Poaceae:

Annual or perennial herbs, or tall woody bamboos. Flowering stems (culms) jointed, internodes hollow or solid; branches arising singly from nodes and subtended by a leaf sheath and 2-keeled prophyll, often fascicled in bamboos. Leaves arranged alternately in 2 ranks, differentiated into sheath, blade, and an adaxial erect appendage at sheath/blade junction (ligule) ; leaf sheath surrounding and supporting culm-internode, split to base or infrequently tubular with partially or completely fused margins, modified with reduced blade in bamboos (culm sheaths) ; leaf blades divergent, usually long, narrow and flat, but varying from inrolled and filiform to ovate, veins parallel, sometimes with cross-connecting veinlets (especially in bamboos) ; ligule membranous or a line of hairs. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, an open, contracted, or spikelike panicle, or composed of lax to spikelike racemes arranged along an elongate central axis, or digitate, paired, or occasionally solitary; axillary inflorescences often many, subtended by spatheoles (specialized bladeless leaf sheaths) and gathered into a leafy compound panicle; spikelets often aggregated into complex clusters in bamboos. Spikelets composed of distichous bracts arranged along a slender axis (rachilla) ; typically 2 lowest bracts (glumes) empty, subtending 1 to many florets; glumes often poorly differentiated from accompanying bracts in bamboos. Florets composed of 2 opposing bracts enclosing a single small flower, outer bract (lemma) clasping the more delicate, usually 2-keeled inner bract (palea) ; base of floret often with thickened prolongation articulated with rachilla (callus) ; lemma often with apical or dorsal bristle (awn), glumes also sometimes awned. Flowers bisexual or unisexual; lodicules (small scales representing perianth) 2, rarely 3 or absent, 3 to many in bamboos, hyaline or fleshy; stamens 3 rarely 1, 2, 6, or more in some bamboos, hypogynous, filaments capillary, anthers versatile; ovary 1-celled, styles (1 or) 2(rarely 3), free or united at base, topped by feathery stigmas, exserted from sides or apex of floret. Fruit normally a dry indehiscent caryopsis with thin pericarp firmly adherent to seed, pericarp rarely free, fleshy in some bamboos; embryo small or large; hilum punctate to linear.

About 700 genera and 11,000 species: widely distributed in all regions of the world.^[1]

Habit: Graminoid • Growth Form: Multiple Stem • Shape and Orientation: Erect

Flowers: Bloom Period: Spring • Flower Color: pale green • Flower Conspicuous: No

Seeds: Seed per Pound: 80000 • Seed Spread Rate: Moderate • Seedling Vigor: High • Fruit/Seed Abundance: Medium • Fruit/Seed Color: Brown • Fruit/Seed Conspicuous: Yes • Cold Stratification Required: No

Foliage: Foliage Color: Green • Foliage Porosity Summer: Porous • Foliage Porosity Winter: Porous • Foliage Texture: Fine • Fall Conspicuous: Yes • Leaf Retention: No

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America

Native: .

Reproduction

Duration: Annual • Coppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: No • Propagated by Container: No • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: Yes • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: No • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Period Begin: Spring • Fruit/Seed Period End: Spring • Fruit/Seed Persistence: Yes • Fruit/Seed Persistence: Yes

Growth

Culture: Space 6-9" apart.

Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: No • Anaerobic Tolerance: None • Salinity Tolerance: Low • CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium • Minimum pH: 5.8 • Maximum pH: 7.0 • Fertility Requirement: Low

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun. • Shade Tolerance: Intolerant

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: Medium • Minimum Precipitation: 12 • Maximum Precipitation: 40 • Moisture Use: Medium

Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): 47 • Minimum Frost Free Days: 90 • Cold Hardiness: 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Briza:

There are approximately 142 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: B. albida · B. ambigua · B. anceps · B. aspera · B. auriculata · B. australis · B. barbata · B. bidentata · B. bipinnata · B. brachychaeta · B. brachychaete · B. brasiliensis · B. brizodes · B. brizoides · B. calotheca · B. canadensis · B. capensis · B. caroliniana · B. clusii · B. cynosuroides · B. dalmatica · B. deltoidea · B. disticha · B. dura · B. elatior · B. elatior var. australis · B. elegans · B. eragrostis · B. erecta · B. erecta var. parviflora · B. flava · B. fusca · B. geniculata · B. globosa · B. glomerata · B. gracilescens · B. gracilis · B. grandis · B. hackelii · B. hackelii f. pseudisachne · B. humilis (Quakinggrass) · B. imbricata · B. itatiaiae · B. juergensii · B. lamarckiana · B. lamarkiana · B. lilloi · B. lindmani · B. lindmanii · B. lutescens · B. macrostachya · B. macrowiczii · B. major · B. mandoniana · B. mandoniana var. herzogiana · B. mandoniana var. vallegrandensis · B. marcowiczii · B. maxima (Big Quakinggrass) · B. maxima 'Rubra' · B. mazima · B. máxima · B. media (Perennial Quaking Grass) · B. media 'Limouzi' (Perennial Quakinggrass) · B. media 'Luz' · B. media 'Russells' · B. media Elatior Group · B. media f. murrii · B. media f. pilosa · B. media f. repens · B. media media · B. megastachya · B. microclada · B. microstachya · B. minima · B. minor (Little Quaking Grass) · B. monandra · B. monandra var. condensata · B. monspessulana · B. montana · B. mucronata · B. multiflora · B. neesii · B. neesii var. angustifolia · B. neesii var. erecta · B. neesii var. flaccida · B. neesii var. laeviuscula · B. nigra · B. nigricans · B. oblonga · B. paleapilifera · B. paleapiliferum · B. parodiana · B. parodianum · B. patula · B. pauciflora · B. pilosa · B. poa · B. poaeformis · B. poaemorpha · B. polymorpha

Bibliography

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• CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) (Weed CIBA)
• Chen Shouliang, Jin Yuexing, Zhuang Tide, Fang Wenzhe, Sheng Guoying, Liu Liang, Wu Zhenlan, Lu Shenglian, Sun Bisin, Hu Zhihao, Wang Song, Sun Xiangzhong, Wang Huiqin, Yang Xilin, Wang Chaopin, Li Binggui & Wen Shaobin. 1990. Gramineae (Poaceae) (4). In: Chen Shouliang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 10(1):1401
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• Liu Liang, Zhu Taiping, Chen Wenli, Wu Zhenlan & Lu Shenglian. Gramineae (Poaceae) (2). In: Liu Liang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 9(2): 1405
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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 15, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 48 providers.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 26, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• Berkeley Natural History Museums, University and Jepson Herbaria DiGIR provider
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
• Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Herbarium Willing
• Bundesamt für Naturschutz / Zentralstelle für Phytodiversität Deutschland, Bundesamt fuer Naturschutz / Zentralstelle fuer Phytodiversitaet Deutschland
• Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien, Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien
• European Environment Agency, EUNIS
• GBIF-Spain, Botánica, Universidad de León: LEB-Cormo
• GBIF-Spain, Dirección General de Investigación, Desarrollo Tecnológico e Innovación de la Junta de Extremadura(DGIDTI): HSS
• GBIF-Spain, Herbario Universidad de Málaga: MGC-Cormófitos
• GBIF-Spain, Hortus Botanicus Sollerensis Herbarium
• GBIF-Spain, Institut Botanic de Barcelona, BC
• GBIF-Spain, Real Jardin Botanico
• , Vascular Plant Herbarium
• GBIF-Spain, Universidad de Almería, HUAL
• GBIF-Spain, Universidad de Extremadura, UNEX
• GBIF-Spain, Universidad de Oviedo. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas: FCO
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• International Plant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI), EURISCO
• Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Israel Nature and Parks Authority
• Jyväskylä University Museum - The Section of Natural Sciences, Vascular plant collection of Jyvaskyla University Museum
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS, Herbarium Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan
• Oregon State University, Vascular Plant Collection
• SysTax, Herbarium Universitat Ulm
• SysTax, Justus-Liebig-Universitat Giessen
• SysTax, SysTax
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Lund Botanical Museum
• Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
• University of Washington Burke Museum, Vascular Plant Collection - University of Washington Herbarium
• Utah State University, USU-UTC Specimen Database
• inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn, inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 41529
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13754006
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:73779-3
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PMPOA14010
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: BRMA
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 25958

Footnotes:

1. Shou-liang Chen, De-Zhu Li, Guanghua Zhu, Zhenlan Wu, Sheng-lian Lu, Liang Liu, Zheng-ping Wang, Bi-xing Sun, Zheng-de Zhu, Nianhe Xia, Liang-zhi Jia, Zhenhua Guo, Wenli Chen, Xiang Chen, Yang Guangyao, Sylvia M. Phillips, Chris Stapleton, Robert J. Soreng, Susan G. Aiken, Nikolai N. Tzvelev, Paul M. Peterson, Stephen A. Renvoize, Marina V. Olonova & Klaus Ammann "Poaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 22. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.