UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Bromus tectorum

Bromus briziformis

cheat grass

rattlesnake brome
Habit Annual, the culms mostly glabrous, 2-6 dm. tall, hollow
Leaves

Sheaths closed, covered with long, soft hairs;

auricles lacking;

ligules 0.5-1.5 mm. long, pubescent;

blades 2-5 mm. broad, pubescent.
Flowers

Inflorescence a one-sided panicle 4-12 cm. long, the branches slender and lax, usually with a single spikelet;

spikelets strongly compressed, oblong-ovate, 15-30 mm. long and 8-12 mm. broad, glabrous, 9- to 15-flowered;

glumes oblong-lanceolate, the first 4-6 mm. long, the second 7-9 mm. long;

lemmas strongly inflated, 9-11 mm. long, usually awnless;

paleas 1-3 mm. shorter than the lemmas;

anthers 3, rarely exerted.
Fruits

Utricle

Bromus tectorum

Bromus briziformis
Flowering time March-June Late May - July
Habitat Sagebrush desert, grasslands, prairies, meadows, balds, roadsides, wastelots, and other distrubed open areas from low to middle elevations. Waste ground, roadsides, and overgrazed areas.
Distribution
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Baja California, Mexico, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Southern British Columbia south to California, east to Idaho and Montana; occasional in eastern United States.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced from Europe Introduced
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
B. arenarius, B. briziformis, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. diandrus, B. erectus, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. madritensis, B. orcuttianus, B. pacificus, B. pumpellianus, B. racemosus, B. rubens, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. vulgaris
B. arenarius, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. diandrus, B. erectus, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. madritensis, B. orcuttianus, B. pacificus, B. pumpellianus, B. racemosus, B. rubens, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. tectorum, B. vulgaris
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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