Brizia media (rattlesnake grass)

21 years ago

I would like to know what is the difference between the looks of Brizia media & maxima. I know Maxima is the annual and brizia media is the perenial type.

The reason I ask is last year I got the maxima seed, planted them and up came the grass. We had a unusually cold & dry winter here and I think the plant is dead. I was going to purchase more seeds, but then found out there was a perenial version.

My thinking is if the perenial version is just as appealing as the annual, I will just get perrenial seeds so I don't have to replant every year.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

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Comments (3)

BruMeta
21 years ago
Oh, definitely try the B. media. Good for cutting. Attractive. Good groundcover for a variety of soils and conditions. Great in groups, sweeps or masses.
gillespiegardens
21 years ago
Your Briza maxima is dead now because it is an annual.
The maxima can grow 2-3 ft tall and has large fingernail sized flower heads that I personally think look like tan colored roaches or some kind of bug. This one is called rattlesnake grass.
The Briza media is a perennial growing to 18 to 24 inches tall and is called quaking grass. It has lots of little balls for flower heads that shake ( or quake) in the breeze. As Brumeta says I too prefer the media.
Briza minor is also an annual and grows to only 6-12 inches.
It has little balls for flowers like the media does and is called little quaking grass.
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junco East Georgia zone 8a
21 years ago
What kind of light and soil does the Brizia media grow best in? I just bought a 4 in pot at a wholesale nursery that was having an "open to the public" day. I've never seen it before and they couldn't tell me anything about it.
Thanks