Greater Quaking Grass

Briza maxima

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae (Grass)

Also in this family:

Annual Meadow-grass, Arrow Bamboo, Bermuda Grass, Blue Moor-grass, Bread Wheat, California Brome Grass, Canary Grass, Cocksfoot, Common Cord-grass, Common Millet, Common Reed, Corn, Couch Grass, Creeping Soft-grass, Crested Dog's-tail, False Oat-grass, Hairy Brome Grass, Italian Rye Grass, Knotroot Bristlegrass, Lyme Grass, Marram Grass, Marsh Foxtail, Mat Grass, Meadow Foxtail, Mountain Melick, Pampas Grass, Perennial Rye Grass, Quaking Grass, Reed Canary Grass, Reed Sweet-grass, Rough Meadow-grass, Six-rowed Barley, Small Sweet-grass, Smooth Meadow-grass, Soft Brome Grass, Sweet Vernal Grass, Timothy Grass, Two-rowed Barley, Wall Barley, Wild Oat, Wood Melick, Yorkshire Fog

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

1 metre tall

Habitats:

Gardens, grassland, heathland, roadsides, seaside, wasteland, waterside, woodland.

Flower:

Green, no petals

Ornamental. Large pale green hanging spikelets reaching 2.5cm long and consisting of up to 12 segmented florets. Later turning gold with maturity.

Fruit:

One-sided dry seed (caryopsis).

Leaves:

The flat, linear leaves are clumped together in compact tufts.

Other Names:

Big Quaking Grass, Blowfly Grass, Great Quaking Grass, Great Shivery Grass, Greater Quaking Grass, Large Quaking Grass, Nodding-Isabel, Pearl Grass, Puffed Wheat, Rattle Grass, Rattlesnake Grass, Shell Grass, Shelly Grass.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map