Briza minor

L.
Common names: Little quakinggrass
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 614.

Plants annual. Culms 7.5-80 cm. Leaves evenly distributed; sheaths 1/2-1/4 the length of the internodes, open to near the base, margins hyaline distally; ligules 4-13 mm, sides sometimes decurrent, margins at the base sometimes encasing the culms, truncate to acute; blades 5.5-12 cm long, 1-8 (10) mm wide, slightly scabrous. Panicles (2) 4-14 (18) cm long, to 11 cm wide; pedicels 4-12 mm. Spikelets (2) 3-4 (7) mm, triangular to oval, with 4-7 (13) florets. Lower glumes 2-2.5 mm; upper glumes 2-3.5 mm; lowermost lemmas 1.6-2 mm, frequently irregular in shape, becoming hyaline distally, glabrous, sometimes minutely scurfy, veins indistinct; paleas about 1.5 mm, often minutely scurfy; anthers 0.4-0.5 mm. Caryopses 0.8-1 mm, ovoid. 2n = 10, 14.

Distribution

Wash., Del., Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Fla., N.J., N.Mex., Tex., La., Tenn., N.C., S.C., Pa., N.Y., Va., Alta., B.C., Ala., Ark., Ill., Ga., Calif., Idaho, Conn., Md., Okla., Miss., Oreg.

Discussion

Briza minor is native to the Mediterranean region. It is the most widespread species of Briza in the Flora region, growing in many habitats: swamp margins, seasonal wetlands and around vernal pools, open woodlands, sandhills, roadsides, and pastures. It appears to be established from southern British Columbia south through western Oregon to California and Arizona, and in the east from the Atlantic states to the Gulf Coast states, inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Briza minor"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
Neil Snow +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
not evident +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
capillary +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
Little quakinggrass +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
not woody +
Wash. +, Del. +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +, Fla. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, La. +, Tenn. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Pa. +, N.Y. +, Va. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Conn. +, Md. +, Okla. +, Miss. +  and Oreg. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
4 +  and 7 +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter than to longer than the adjacent lemmas +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
cordate +  and naviculate +
subequal +
uncinate +
Round (?) +  and Elliptic (?) +
distributed +
1-7(9)-veined +
long +  and longer +
inflated +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
free +  and joined +
inconspicuous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
perpendicular +
truncate +  and acute +
membranous +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
chartaceous +  and scarious +
4cm +  and 14cm +
spikelike +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
not prolonged +
1/2 (?) +  and 1/4 (?) +
decurrent +
Introduced +
1 +  and 60 +
triangular +  and oval +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Briza minor +
species +
membranous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
parallel +  and converging +
indistinct +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +