The Beauty of Grass. Briza media, Trembling Grass, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This Briza media is one of 12,000 (!) species of grass. Many people haven't really ever looked to see how pretty grasses can be, and this one is a prime example.
Johannes Snippendaal (1616-1670), prefect of our Botanical Garden, called this beautiful grass 'Gramen tremulum majus', a name I like rather more than the official one today, 'Briza media'. Even in the quiet air the tiny flowers - here in full bloom - still tremble ('tremulum') and hence one of its common names in English is 'Quaking Grass'.
The Beauty of Grass. Briza media, Trembling Grass, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This Briza media is one of 12,000 (!) species of grass. Many people haven't really ever looked to see how pretty grasses can be, and this one is a prime example.
Johannes Snippendaal (1616-1670), prefect of our Botanical Garden, called this beautiful grass 'Gramen tremulum majus', a name I like rather more than the official one today, 'Briza media'. Even in the quiet air the tiny flowers - here in full bloom - still tremble ('tremulum') and hence one of its common names in English is 'Quaking Grass'.