Big Quakinggrass

This is a very attractive ornamental grass with a panicle of relatively few large spikelets. It is widely cultivated and an established introduction in many warm-temperate countries.

An extremely attractive grass widely cultivated as an ornamental (Large Quaking-grass) and frequently escaping.

Annual. Culms solitary or loosely tufted, erect or geniculate at base, 20–60 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous; leaf blades thin, 4–20 cm × 3–8 mm, margins scabrid, otherwise smooth, apex acute; ligule 2–5 mm, obtuse. Panicle loose, nodding, 7–10 cm, sparingly branched with few pendant spikelets; branches inserted singly, scaberulous, sometimes with only 1 spikelet; pedicels hairlike, shorter or longer than spikelet, drooping. Spikelets ovate, ca. 1.2 × 1 cm, tinged reddish brown, florets 7–20; lower glume 5–6 mm, 5-veined, upper glume 6–7 mm, 7–9-veined, margins purple or tawny, apex broadly rounded; lemmas very broadly ovate, wider than long, lowest 7–8 mm, 7–9-veined, glabrous or appressed-pubescent; palea obovate, 1/2–2/3 length of lemma, back glabrous, keels pubescent. Anthers ca. 2 mm. 2n = 14.

Annual; culms 10-60 cm high, loosely tufted or solitary, erect or geniculately ascending, slender. Leaf-blades 5-20 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, flat, minutely rough on the margins; ligule 2-5 mm long. Panicle 3-10 cm long, loose, nodding, bearing up to 12 spikelets on capillary pedicels. Spikelets 7-20-flowered, ovate to oblong, plump, 14-25 mm long and 8-15 mm wide, glabrous or minutely hairy, pale green, silvery or suffused with reddish-brown or purple; lemma 6-8 mm long, very broad, rounded on the back, obtuse.

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab, introduced); Mediterranean region; naturalised in many warm temperate countries.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: May-August.

Gardens. Frequently cultivated in China [N Africa, S Europe].