OregonFlora: Bromus catharticus vs. Bromus

	Bromus catharticus	Bromus
	rescue grass	brome
Habit		Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, 5–190 cm tall; usually cespitose, sometimes rhizomatous.
Leaves		sheaths closed nearly to the top, usually with spreading hairs; ligules membranous, usually erose or lacerate; blades usually flat, rarely involute.
Inflorescences		panicles, sometimes racemes or with a single spikelet in depauperate specimens; disarticulation above the glumes; below the florets.
Spikelets		terete to laterally compressed with 3–30 florets.
Glumes		unequal, usually shorter than the adjacent lemmas; always shorter than the spikelets, usually acute, rarely mucronate; lower glumes 1–7(9)-veined; upper glumes 3–9(11)-veined.
Ovaries		and caryopses with densely hairy tips.
Lemmas		5–13-veined, keeled to rounded on the back; tips entire to toothed, usually awned; lemma awns (0)1(3); terminal or subterminal.
Paleas		ciliate on the keels, adnate to the caryopses.
Anthers		(2)3.

	Bromus catharticus	Bromus
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion	[Species with one variety or subspecies in Oregon.]	Temperate and cool regions worldwide. 100–400 species; 22 species treated in Flora. Bromes are distinguished by closed leaf sheaths, usually hairy foliage, and relatively large spikelets with several florets. Most have awned lemmas. Bromus is the second most diverse grass genus in Oregon, after Poa. Some of our native species interbreed, and intermediate plants are found fairly often. Within this genus, it is helpful to remember that culm diameters are measured near the middle of one of the lowest elongated internodes. The distance from the base of the lemma awn to the lemma apex should be measured on the distal florets of a spikelet. Lemma lengths are measured on the lowest florets in a spikelet. Lengths of lemmas and spikelets do not include awns. The lower panicle branches are measured from the node on the inflorescence axis to the end of the farthest floret (excluding awns).
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 366 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa	B. arenarius, B. briziformis, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. diandrus, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. laevipes, B. madritensis, B. orcuttianus, B. pacificus, B. rubens, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. tectorum, B. vulgaris
Subordinate taxa	B. catharticus var. catharticus	B. arenarius, B. briziformis, B. catharticus, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. diandrus, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. laevipes, B. madritensis, B. orcuttianus, B. pacificus, B. rubens, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. tectorum, B. vulgaris
Synonyms	Bromus unioloides
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Bromus

rescue grass

brome

Habit

Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, 5–190 cm tall; usually cespitose, sometimes rhizomatous.

Leaves

sheaths closed nearly to the top, usually with spreading hairs;

ligules membranous, usually erose or lacerate;

blades usually flat, rarely involute.

Inflorescences

panicles, sometimes racemes or with a single spikelet in depauperate specimens;

disarticulation above the glumes; below the florets.

Spikelets

terete to laterally compressed with 3–30 florets.

Glumes

unequal, usually shorter than the adjacent lemmas; always shorter than the spikelets, usually acute, rarely mucronate;

lower glumes 1–7(9)-veined;

upper glumes 3–9(11)-veined.

Ovaries

and caryopses with densely hairy tips.

Lemmas

5–13-veined, keeled to rounded on the back;

tips entire to toothed, usually awned;

lemma awns (0)1(3); terminal or subterminal.

Paleas

ciliate on the keels, adnate to the caryopses.

Anthers

(2)3.

Bromus

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

[Species with one variety or subspecies in Oregon.]

Temperate and cool regions worldwide. 100–400 species; 22 species treated in Flora.

Bromes are distinguished by closed leaf sheaths, usually hairy foliage, and relatively large spikelets with several florets. Most have awned lemmas. Bromus is the second most diverse grass genus in Oregon, after Poa. Some of our native species interbreed, and intermediate plants are found fairly often. Within this genus, it is helpful to remember that culm diameters are measured near the middle of one of the lowest elongated internodes. The distance from the base of the lemma awn to the lemma apex should be measured on the distal florets of a spikelet. Lemma lengths are measured on the lowest florets in a spikelet. Lengths of lemmas and spikelets do not include awns. The lower panicle branches are measured from the node on the inflorescence axis to the end of the farthest floret (excluding awns).

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 366
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa