Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Briza minor
L., Poaceae
Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES


Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: lesser quaking grass, little quaking grass, shiverygrass

French: petite amourette, petite brize

Spanish: brizna, pastito de Dios

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annuals; culms slender, up to 75 cm tall.  Sheaths loose, striate, nodes glabrous, with a few scattered hairs below, ca. 5 cm long; ligule membranous, ca. 3 mm long; blades linear, up to 7.5 cm long, up to 4 mm wide, margins minutely scaberulous, base subcordate.  Inflorescence a loose panicle up to 10 cm long, up to 8 cm wide, the branches ascending to erect, filiform, ultimate ones apparently dichotomously branched, each ending in a drooping spikelet; spikelets many-flowered, laterally compressed; first glume at right angles to rachilla, boat-shaped, ca. 2.4 mm long, median portion 3-nerved, margins scarious, apex rounded; second glume ca. 2.4 mm long; first lemma ca. 1.5 mm long, base cordate, widely clasping; palea 2-nerved, winged, nerves ciliate.  Caryopsis brown, boat-shaped, pointed, ca. 1 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1505).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized and common in moist to dry, open areas such as pastures and along roadsides, and in subalpine forest, 360-1,830 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1505).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Europe, now widely naturalized"  (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
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Hawai‘i (Big) Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
Voucher cited: Mann & Brigham 632 (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Hawai‘i (Big) Island introduced
invasive
Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (p. 14)
Voucher cited: J. Rémy 85 (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Kaua‘i Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Lāna‘i Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Maui Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Moloka‘i Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
O‘ahu Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1505)
New Zealand (offshore islands)
Kermadec Islands
Kermadec Islands introduced
invasive
Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 90)
"Usually on roadsides, sometimes on sandhills or swamp margins".
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)
Australia (continental)   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 31)
Chile (continental)
Chile
Chile (Republic of)   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 31)
China
China
China (People's Republic of)   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 31)
Japan
Japan
Japan (country)   Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 55)
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico (United Mexican States)   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 31)
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand (country) introduced
invasive
Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 90)
"Usually on roadsides, sometimes on sandhills or swamp margins".
Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)
Mauritius Island   Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 55)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Briza minor is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Briza minor may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2000. New Hawaiian plant records for 1999. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 63:9-16.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 10 FEB 2007 and was last updated on 25 MAR 2007.