any of about 20 species of slender annual or perennial grasses making up the genus Briza (family Poaceae), named for the spikelets of open flower clusters, borne on long stalks, that quiver in any air current.

The various species are native to Eurasia. Briza maxima, B. media, and B. minor (shivery grass) are cultivated as ornamentals and have become naturalized in temperate areas of Australia, North America, and South Africa.