Briza minor L.
shivery grass
Erect to sprawling annual tufts, (5)-15-90 cm. Leaf-sheath submembranous, glabrous, striate. Ligule 2.5-5.5 mm, lanceolate, acute, glabrous. Leaf-blade (2)-5-16 cm × 2-9 mm, flat, thin, striate, adaxially minutely scabrid on ribs; margins minutely scabrid, tip acute. Culm 10-70 cm, erect or slightly geniculate at base, internodes glabrous. Panicle (1)-5-20 × (0.4)-3-11 cm, lax, much branched, with numerous spikelets; rachis glabrous, branches erect to widely spreading, finely scabrid, pedicels very filiform, often flexuous or curved, 5-10 mm. Spikelets 3-4.5 × 2.5-3.5 mm, (3)-5-9-flowered, pendent, ± ovate to subtriangular, shining, usually pale green, sometimes purplish. Glumes ± equal, 1.7-2.6 mm, 3-(5)-nerved, patent, concave, centrally firmly membranous, margins wide, hyaline, apex hooded. Lemma 1.5-2.5 mm, 7-nerved, similar to glumes but hardened central portion bearing scale-like, readily caducous hairs, deeply concave, base cordate, margins membranous, very broad, apex inflexed at maturity. Palea 1.4-1.8 mm, somewhat < lemma, elliptic, flat, keels narrow, interkeel with scale-like, readily caducous hairs. Lodicules 0.5-0.7 mm, linear-lanceolate, acute, sometimes hair-tipped. Anthers 0.4-0.8 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5-0.6 mm; stigma-styles c. 1.2 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm; embryo c. 0.4 mm; hilum punctiform, c. 0.2 mm.
N.; S.; St.: scattered; K. Usually on roadsides, sometimes on sandhills or swamp margins.
Naturalised from Mediterranean.
