Briza maxima

Rattlesnake grass, large quaking grass, Large Quaking Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Rattlesnake grass is a naturalized annual grass found in northwestern California, western California Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, central western California, southern California coastal areas, western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges at elevations below 970 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate, pendulous spikelets in spreading to hanging clusters 2 to 10 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 20 to 80 centimeters tall, it forms elegant, drooping grass heads that resemble small rattles. Its leaves have narrow blades 1 to 7 millimeters wide with short ligules 1 to 4 millimeters long, commonly found in shaded sites, roadsides, pastures, and coastal dune areas. Each distinctive spikelet contains 12 to 19 individual florets, creating a distinctive trembling appearance that gives the grass its snake-like nickname.

Habitat: Shaded sites, roadsides, pastures, weedy on coastal dunes

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 970 m

Bioregions: NW, w CaR, n SN, ScV, CW (exc SCoRI), SCo, WTR, PR (upper San Diego River), ne MP

California counties: Humboldt, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Fresno, San Mateo, Yuba, Amador, Marin, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Nevada, Calaveras, Trinity, Santa Clara, San Diego, Shasta, Tehama, Del Norte, Lake, Ventura, Siskiyou, Yolo, Solano, San Bernardino, Colusa, Placer

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.