Bromus porteri
Bromus aleutensis
nodding brome, Porter brome, Porter's brome
Aleut brome, Aleutian brome
30-100 cm, erect;
nodes (2)3-4(5), glabrous or pubescent;
internodes mostly glabrous, puberulent near the nodes.
40-130 cm tall, 3-7 mm thick, often decumbent.
glabrous or pilose, midrib of the culm leaves not abruptly narrowed just below the collar;
auricles absent;
ligules to 2.5 mm, glabrous, truncate or obtuse, erose or lacerate;
blades (3)10-25(35) cm long, 2-5(6) mm wide, flat, not glaucous, both surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes the adaxial surface pilose.
coarsely striate, pilose, hairs sparse to moderately dense, throats pilose;
auricles rarely present;
ligules 3.5-5 mm, usually glabrous, occasionally pubescent, lacerate;
blades 13-35 cm long, 6-15 mm wide, flat, usually sparsely to moderately pilose on both surfaces, sometimes glabrous.
7-20 cm, open, nodding, often 1-sided;
branches slender, ascending to spreading, often recurved and flexuous.
10-28 cm, erect, open or somewhat contracted;
lower branches to 10 cm, 1-2 per node, stiffly ascending, with (1)2-3 spikelets on the distal 72, sometimes confined to the tips.
12-38 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with (3)5-11(13) florets.
25-40 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, strongly laterally compressed, with 3-6 florets.
usually pubescent, rarely glabrous;
lower glumes 5-7(9) mm, usually 3-veined, sometimes 1-veined;
upper glumes 6-10 mm, 3-veined, not mucronate;
lemmas 8-14 mm, elliptic, rounded over the midvein, usually pubescent or pilose, margins often with longer hairs, backs and margins rarely glabrous, apices acute or obtuse to truncate, entire;
awns (1)2-3(3.5) mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;
anthers (1)2-3 mm.
glabrous or pubescent;
lower glumes 9-13 mm, 3-5-veined;
upper glumes 10-15 mm, 7(9)-veined;
lemmas 12-17 mm, lanceolate, laterally compressed, usually softly pubescent, sometimes glabrous, strongly keeled at least distally, 9(11)-veined, veins conspicuous distally, apices entire or with acute teeth shorter than 1 mm;
awns (3)5-10 mm;
anthers 2.2-4.2 mm.
= 14.
= 56.
Bromus porteri
Bromus aleutensis
Bromus porteri grows in montane meadows, grassy slopes, mesic steppes, forest edges, and open forest habitats, at 500-3500 m. It is found from British Columbia to Manitoba, and south to California, western Texas, and Mexico. It is closely related to B. anomalus, and has often been included in that species. It differs chiefly in its lack of auricles, and in having culm leaves with midribs that are not narrowed just below the collar.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Bromus aleutensis grows in sand, gravel, and disturbed soil along the Pacific coast, from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to western Washington, and on some lake shores of central British Columbia. It has also been found further east in Canada and in northern Idaho, always in disturbed sites, such as road edges.
Bromus aleutensis might represent a modified version of B. sitchensis, in which reproduction occurs at a relatively early developmental state in response to the climatic conditions of the Aleutian Islands (Hulten 1968). B. aleutensis is predominantly self-fertilizing, and B. sitchensis is predominantly outcrossing. Anther lengths close to 4.2 mm suggest that at least some plants of B. aleutensis are outcrossing (Hitchcock 1969). Bromus aleutensis intergrades with B. carinatus var. marginatus to the south.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
CA
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
Flora NW
