Bromus hordeaceus |
Bromus inermis |
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soft chess |
smooth brome |
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Habit | Annual, the culms 2-7 dm. tall, usually soft-pubescent throughout. | Strongly rhizomatous perennial, the culms 2-12 dm. tall. |
Leaves | Sheaths closed; ligules 0.5-1 mm. long, hairy; blades flat, 1.5-4 mm. broad. |
Sheaths closed, glabrous or pubescent; auricles usually present, 1 mm. long; ligules 0.5-2.5 mm. long; blades flat, 3-10 mm. broad. |
Flowers | Inflorescence an erect, narrow, crowded panicle 3-10 cm. long, the spikelets exceeding the pedicles; spikelets 5- to 7-flowered, 1-2 cm. long; first glume 4-6 mm. long, lanceolate, the second slightly longer and wider; lemmas 6.5-8.5 mm. long, the area between the nerves depressed and concave; lemmas with straight awns 6-10 mm. long from a bifid apex. |
Inflorescence a narrow panicle 7-20 cm. long, the branches ascending; spikelets narrow, tapered from near the base, 5- to 13-flowered, 1.5-3 cm. long, purplish-tinged; glumes with a transparent margin, the first 1-nerved, 4-6 mm. long, the second 3-nerved, 6-10 mm. long; lemmas rounded on the back, obtuse, usually unawned; anthers 3, exerted. |
Bromus hordeaceus |
Bromus inermis |
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Flowering time | April-July | June-August |
Habitat | Prairies, bluffs, grasslands, waste ground, roadsides, dry hillsides, and other disturbed areas. | Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, parks, and other disturbed open areas; often planted for hay and soil stabilization. |
Distribution | Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Baja California, east to Idaho and Montana.
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Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast
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Origin | Introduced from Europe | Introduced from Eurasia |
Conservation status | Not of concern | Not of concern |
Sibling taxa | ||
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