Briza minor L.   Poaceae (Grass Family)   Europe   Small Quaking-Grass

                                         April Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Annual, stems 1-8, ascending to erect, 10-50 cm. tall; ligules 3-6 mm., blade flat 3-10 mm. wide; infl. panicle-like, open, 3-20 cm. tall; spikelets generally greater than 15 per infl., erect, subconic, truncate at base; glumes subequal, 1.5-4 mm., 3-5 veined, papery; florets 4-6; lemmas 1-2 mm.; palea +/- equal to lemma.

Habitat:  Shaded or moist open sites; 20-600 m.; throughout the state, more common in the northern counties, to OR, eastern U.S.  April-July.

Name: Briza, Greek for a kind of grain. (Hickman, Ed. 1239).  Latin, minor, smaller.  (Jaeger 156).

General:  Uncommon in the study area with only one colony known and this on the bluff above Back Bay Dr. just past the last big bend in the road before its terminus at Eastbluff Dr.       Occasionally it forms a part of the spring forage in central and northern California, but usually it acts as a weed.  (Robbins et al. 58).      Ten to twelve species native to Europe and North Africa.  (Hickman, Ed. 1239).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 1239; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 950; Robbins et al. 58. 

Photo Ref:  April-May 95 # 3,4.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 478.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 4/10/03.

                                             April Photo