UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Bromus tectorum

Bromus diandrus

cheat grass

great brome, ripgut brome, ripgut grass
Habit Annual, the culms 4-8 dm. tall, usually glabrous.
Leaves

Leaf blades flat, 3-10 mm. wide;

sheaths with soft, spreading hairs;

ligules lacerate, 3-5 mm. long;

auricles lacking.
Flowers

Inflorescence a spreading to erect panicle 10-15 cm. long, the branches elongate, bearing only 1-2 spikelets;

spikelets 5- to 7-flowered, 2.5-4 cm. long, broadest above mid-length;

glumes glabrous, narrowly lanceolate, the first 1-nerved, 15-20 mm. long, the second 3-nerved, 25-33 mm. long;

lemmas 25-30 mm. long, puberulent, the 2 teeth slender, 3-4 mm. long, the awn attached between the teeth 3.5-6 cm. long, straight;

stamens 3.

Bromus tectorum

Bromus diandrus
Flowering time March-June April-June
Habitat Sagebrush desert, grasslands, prairies, meadows, balds, roadsides, wastelots, and other distrubed open areas from low to middle elevations. Grassy balds, prairies, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas at low to moderate elevations.
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]
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, southern Great Plains, and in eastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced from Europe Introduced from Europe
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. briziformis, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, 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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