What is "briza maxima"

Quaking \Quak"ing\, a. & n. from Quake, v. Quaking aspen (Bot.), an American species of poplar ( Populus tremuloides), the leaves of which tremble in the lightest breeze. It much resembles the European aspen. See Aspen. Quaking bog, a bog of forming peat so saturated with water that it shakes when trodden upon. Quaking grass. (Bot.)

1. One of several grasses of the genus Briza, having slender-stalked and pendulous ovate spikelets, which quake and rattle in the wind. Briza maxima is the large quaking grass; Briza media and Briza minor are the smaller kinds.

2. Rattlesnake grass ( Glyceria Canadensis).

Briza maxima is a species of the grass genus Briza. It is native to Northern Africa, the Azores, Western Asia, and Southern Europe and is cultivated or naturalised in the British Isles, Australasia, the western United States, Central and South America, and Hawaii.

This species has a large number of common names, including big quaking grass, great quaking grass, greater quaking-grass, large quaking grass, blowfly grass, rattlesnake grass, shelly grass, rattle grass in the UK, and shell grass.

It grows to a height of 60 cm.

The seeds and leaves are edible.