Bromus

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Bromus >

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Read about Bromus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Bromus (ancient Greek name for the pat). Gramineae. Brome-grass. Annual or perennial grasses with large, usually awned spikelets in panicles. Spikelets several-fld. ; lemmas convex or keeled, 5-9- nerved, usually 2-toothed at apex and awned from between the teeth, sometimes awn less, the awn usually straight. — Species about 100, mostly in the north temperate zone. The genus contains a few forage grasses and several annual species that have been intro. into the U. S., especially on the Pacific coast, where they have become troublesome weeds. Among the weedy annual species may be mentioned B. secalinus, Linn., chess or cheat, with smooth sheaths, drooping panicles of ovate short- awned spikelets, the lemmas convex and smooth; B. commulatus, Schrad., resembling the preceding but the sheaths hairy; B. mollis, Linn. Resembles chess, from which it differs by its hairiness and more erect panicle; B. vittosus, Forsk., with large few-fld. spikelets, the awns about 2 in. long; B. tectorum, Linn., delicate, slender spikelets in drooping panicles the awns 6-7 lines long; B. rubens, Linn., with erect compact panicles of purple spikelets, the awn 9-11 lines long. The last 3 are especially abundant in Calif. Cheat is used for hay in Ore. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Bromus
Barren Brome, Bromus sterilis
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Bromus Scop.
Species
About 160, see text.

Bromus is a large genus of the grass family Poaceae with about 160 species. Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400.

Description

Commonly known as brome grasses, Bromus species occur in many habitats in temperate regions of the world, including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. There is a wide variety between some species, while the morphological differences between others are subtle and difficult to distinguish. As such, the taxonomy of the genus is complicated. The genus Bromus is distinguished from other grass genera by the combination of several morphological characteristics, including leaf sheaths that are closed (connate) for most of their length, apicals that are usually inserted subapically, and hairy appendages on the ovary. The leaves and sheaths can be hairless, sparsely hairy or hairy. The inflorescence is a loose or open panicle, usually drooping or nodding, sometimes spreading (as in Japanese Brome).

The caterpillars of some Lepidoptera use Bromus as a foodplant, e.g. the Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon).

Taxonomy

Taxonomists have generated various classification schemes to reflect the morphological variation that is seen in Bromus. In North America, five sections are generally recognized: sect. Bromus, sect. Genea, sect. Ceratochloa, sect. Neobromus, and sect. Brompsis. Sections Bromus and Genea are native to the Old World (Eurasia), but many species are introduced into North America. Sections Bromopsis, Neobromus, and Ceratochloa have several native species in North America.

Species

• Bromus aleutensis - Aleutian Brome
• Bromus alopecuros - Weedy Brome
• Bromus anomalus - Nodding Brome
• Bromus arenarius - Australian Brome
• Bromus arizonicus - Arizona Brome
• Bromus arvensis - Field Brome, Schrader's Brome
• Bromus benekii - Lesser Hairy Brome
• Bromus berterianus - Chilean chess
• Bromus biebersteinii - Meadow Brome
• Bromus briziformis - Rattlesnake Brome, Quake Grass.
• Bromus bromoideus - Brome of the Ardennes
• Bromus carinatus - California Brome, Mountain Brome Grass
• Bromus catharticus - Rescuegrass, Australian Oat
• Bromus ciliatus - Fringed Brome (syn. B. canadensis)
  • Bromus ciliatus subsp. ciliatus - Fringed Brome
  • Bromus ciliatus subsp. richardsonii - Fringed Brome
• Bromus commutatus - Meadow Brome
• Bromus danthoniae
• Bromus diandrus - Great Brome, Ripgut Brome, Ripgut grass
• Bromus erectus - Upright Brome, Erect Brome
• Bromus fibrosus
• Bromus frondosus - Weeping Brome
• Bromus grandis - Tall Brome
• Bromus grossus - Great Rye Brome, Whiskered Brome
• Bromus hordeaceus - Soft Brome
  • Bromus hordeaceus subsp. ferronii - Least Soft Brome
  • Bromus hordeaceus subsp. hordeaceus - Soft Brome
  • Bromus hordeaceus subsp. molliformis - Soft Brome
  • Bromus hordeaceus subsp. pseudothominii - Soft Brome
  • Bromus hordeaceus subsp. thominei - Lesser Soft Brome
• Bromus inermis - Hungarian Brome, Smooth Brome, Awnless Brome Grass
  • Bromus inermis subsp. inermis - Smooth Brome
    • Bromus inermis subsp. inermis var. divaricatus - Smooth Brome
    • Bromus inermis subsp. inermis var. inermis - Smooth Brome
  • Bromus inermis subsp. pumpellianus - Pumpelly's Brome
    • Bromus inermis subsp. pumpellianus var. arcticus - Pumpelly's Brome
    • Bromus inermis subsp. pumpellianus var. pumpellianus - Pumpelly's Brome

Bromus mollis

• Bromus interruptus - Interrupted Brome
• Bromus japonicus - Japanese Brome
• Bromus kalmii - Arctic Brome
• Bromus laevipes - Chinook Brome
• Bromus lanatipes - Woolly Brome
• Bromus lanceolatus- Mediterranean Brome
• Bromus latiglumis - Earlyleaf Brome
• Bromus lepidus - Slender Soft Brome
• Bromus luzonensis - Hoary Brome
• Bromus macrostachys
• Bromus madritensis - Compact Brome
• Bromus mango - Mango Brome
• Bromus marginatus - Mountain Brome
• Bromus maritimus - Seaside Brome
• Bromus mollis - Bull Grass, Soft Cheat, Soft Chess
• Bromus mucroglumis - Sharpglume Brome
• Bromus nottowayanus - Nottoway Valley Brome
• Bromus orcuttianus - Orcutt's Brome
• Bromus pacificus - Pacific Brome
• Bromus polyanthus - Great Basin Brome
  • Bromus polyanthus subsp. paniculatus - Great Basin Brome
  • Bromus polyanthus subsp. polyanthus - Great Basin Brome
• Bromus porteri - Porter Brome
• Bromus pseudolaevipes - Coast Range Brome
• Bromus pseudosecalinus- False Rye Brome
• Bromus pseudothominii - Hybrid Soft Brome
• Bromus pubescens - Hairy Woodland Brome
• Bromus racemosus - Smooth Brome
• Bromus ramosus - Hairy Brome
  • Bromus ramosus subsp. benekii - Lesser Hairy Brome
  • Bromus ramosus subsp. racemosus - Hairy Brome, Smooth Brome
• Bromus rigidus - Stiff Brome, Ripgut Brome
• Bromus rubens - Red Brome, Foxtail Brome
• Bromus scoparius - Broom Brome
• Bromus secalinus - Rye Brome, Chess, Cheat Grass
• Bromus sitchensis - Alaska Brome
• Bromus squarrosus - Rough Brome, Corn Brome
• Bromus stamineus - Roadside Brome
• Bromus sterilis - Barren Brome, Poverty Brome, Sterile Brome Grass
• Bromus suksdorfii - Suksdorf's Brome
• Bromus tectorum - Drooping Brome, Downy Brome
• Bromus texensis - Texas Brome
• Bromus vulgaris - Columbia Brome
• Bromus willdenowii - Rescue Brome

External links

• Brome grasses UK
• Interactive Key to Bromus of North America