Briza maxima L., Poaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: da ling feng cao

English: big quaking grass, blowfly grass, giant shivery grass, great quaking grass, greater quaking grass, large quaking grass, quaking grass

French: grande brize

Spanish: corazón de Jesús, ilusión de corazon grande, pastito de Dios, tembladera, templacera, templaderilla, templeque, zarcillitos

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Glabrous annuals, culms 30-60 cm tall, erect or sometimes decumbent at base.  Sheaths 4-8 cm long, usually scarious on margins; ligule 3-5 mm long, membranous; blades 10-30 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, thin.  Panicles drooping, 5-8 cm long, with few spikelets; spikelets 10-20 mm long, 7-12 mm wide, 9-15-flowered, ovate, on flexuous pedicels; glumes prominently 7-nerved, broad, chartaceous, obtuse, scarious, margins usually brown, first glume 5-5.5 mm long, second glume 6-6.5 mm long; lemmas 8-9 mm long, 7-9-nerved, chartaceous, base cordate, acute, margins usually scarious and brown or purple, upper part pilose; palea cuneate or obtuse, 3-3.5 mm long, keels ciliate.  Caryopsis dark brown, 2.5-2.7 mm long, 1.5-1.7 mm wide, keeled, beaked"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp.  1504-1505).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "Grass- and healthland, forests, riparian habitats, coastal beaches.  Native habitats include hillslopes, coastal scrub and disturbed sites.  It forms dense, species poor swards where invasive that impede the growth and regeneration of native plants"  (Weber, 2003; p. 72).

In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and sparingly naturalized along roadsides, in pastures, and other disturbed areas, 610-1,070 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1505).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m.  Somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter.  Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Europe, widely cultivated for its large, showy panicles"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1505).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Santa Clara	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1504-1505)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1504-1505)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1504-1505) Voucher cited: Lyon s.n. (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Gardens. Frequently cultivated.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 88) "Often near the coast on roadsides and sandy or shingly waste land".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control: 

Physical:  "Plants are easy to hand pull.  Mowing before seeds are ripe prevents seed dispersal and kills the plant.  Burning before flower open kills the grass and destroys seeds on the soil".

Chemical:  "Chemical control is done by spring herbicides, best before the flowering stems emerge"  (Weber, 2003; p. 72).