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Pacific brome

Mexican brome

Habit Plants perennial; not rhizomatous. Plants perennial; not rhizomatous.
Culms

60-170 cm, erect;

nodes (5)6-8, pubescent;

internodes usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent near the nodes.

40-90 cm, erect;

nodes (3)4-7(8), these and the internodes pubescent or glabrous.

Sheaths

pilose, midrib of the culm leaves not abruptly narrowed just below the collar;

auricles absent;

ligules 2-4 mm, glabrous, truncate, erose or lacerate;

blades 20-35(37) mm long, 6-16 mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces pilose.

glabrous or pilose, midrib of the culm leaves abruptly narrowed just below the collar;

auricles often present on the lower leaves;

ligules to 1 mm, truncate;

blades 14-22(26) cm long, to 6 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pilose, not glaucous.

Panicles

10-25 cm, open, nodding;

branches ascending, spreading, or drooping.

10-20 cm, open, nodding;

branches ascending or spreading.

Spikelets

20-30 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with (4)6-10 florets.

(14)15-30 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with 4-12 florets.

Glumes

pubescent;

lower glumes 6-8.5 mm, 1(3)-veined;

upper glumes 8-11.5 mm, 3-veined, not mucronate;

lemmas 10-12 mm, lanceolate, rounded over the midvein, backs pubescent, margins more densely so, apices acute, entire;

awns 3.5-7 mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;

anthers 2-4 mm.

usually pubescent, rarely glabrous;

lower glumes 5-6 mm, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 6-8 mm, 3-veined, sometimes mucronate;

lemmas 7-10 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, rounded over the midvein, backs and margins pubescent, apices acute to obtuse, entire;

awns 1-3(5) mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;

anthers 2-4 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 14.

Bromus pacificus

Bromus anomalus

Distribution
from FNA
AK; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM; TX; AB; BC; SK
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Bromus pacificus grows in moist thickets, openings, and ravines along the Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska to northern California, with a few occurrences further inland.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Bromus anomalus grows on rocky slopes in western Texas and adjacent Mexico. Many records of this species in the Flora region are here treated as B. porteri, a closely related species that has sometimes been included in B. anomalus. The main difference is that B. anomalus has auricles, and culm leaves with midribs that are narrowed just below the collar.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 218. FNA vol. 24, p. 213.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Bromeae > Bromus > sect. Bromopsis Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Bromeae > Bromus > sect. Bromopsis
Sibling taxa
B. aleutensis, B. anomalus, B. arenarius, B. arizonicus, B. arvensis, B. berteroanus, B. briziformis, B. carinatus, B. caroli-henrici, B. catharticus, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. danthoniae, B. diandrus, B. erectus, B. frondosus, B. grandis, B. hallii, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. kalmii, B. laevipes, B. lanatipes, B. lanceolatus, B. latiglumis, B. lepidus, B. madritensis, B. maritimus, B. mucroglumis, B. nottowayanus, B. orcuttianus, B. polyanthus, B. porteri, B. pseudolaevipes, B. pubescens, B. pumpellianus, B. racemosus, B. ramosus, B. richardsonii, B. riparius, B. rubens, B. scoparius, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. tectorum, B. texensis, B. vulgaris
B. aleutensis, B. arenarius, B. arizonicus, B. arvensis, B. berteroanus, B. briziformis, B. carinatus, B. caroli-henrici, B. catharticus, B. ciliatus, B. commutatus, B. danthoniae, B. diandrus, B. erectus, B. frondosus, B. grandis, B. hallii, B. hordeaceus, B. inermis, B. japonicus, B. kalmii, B. laevipes, B. lanatipes, B. lanceolatus, B. latiglumis, B. lepidus, B. madritensis, B. maritimus, B. mucroglumis, B. nottowayanus, B. orcuttianus, B. pacificus, B. polyanthus, B. porteri, B. pseudolaevipes, B. pubescens, B. pumpellianus, B. racemosus, B. ramosus, B. richardsonii, B. riparius, B. rubens, B. scoparius, B. secalinus, B. sitchensis, B. squarrosus, B. sterilis, B. suksdorfii, B. tectorum, B. texensis, B. vulgaris
Synonyms Bromopsis pacifica
Name authority Shear Rupr. ex E. Fourn.
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