Bromus porteri
Bromus richardsonii
nodding brome, Porter brome, Porter's brome
fringe brome, Richardson's brome
30-100 cm, erect;
nodes (2)3-4(5), glabrous or pubescent;
internodes mostly glabrous, puberulent near the nodes.
50-110(145) cm, erect to spreading;
nodes (3)4-5(6), usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent;
internodes usually glabrous.
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.
7-20 cm, open, nodding, often 1-sided;
branches slender, ascending to spreading, often recurved and flexuous.
10-20(25) cm, open, nodding;
branches ascending to spreading or drooping, filiform.
12-38 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with (3)5-11(13) florets.
15-25(40) mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with (4)6-10(15) 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.
usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent;
lower glumes 7.5-12.5 mm, 1(3)-veined;
upper glumes 8.9-11.3 mm, 3-veined, often mucronate;
lemmas 9-14(16) mm, elliptic, rounded over the midvein, margins more or less densely pilose on the lower 1/2 or 3/4, lower lemmas in a spikelet glabrous across the backs, uppermost lemmas with appressed hairs on the backs, apices obtuse, entire;
awns (2)3-5 mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;
anthers 1.6-2.7 mm.
sheaths often retrorsely pilose;
culm sheaths glabrous, often tufted-pilose near the auricle position, midrib of the culm leaves not abruptly narrowed just below the collar;
auricles absent;
ligules 0.4-2 mm, glabrous, rounded, erose, ciliolate;
blades 10-35 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, flat, glabrous.
= 14.
= 28.
Bromus porteri
Bromus richardsonii
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 richardsonii grows in meadows and open woods in the upper montane and subalpine zones, at 2000-4000 m in the southern Rocky Mountains, and at lower elevations northwards. Its range extends from southern Alaska to southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico; it is found as far east as Saskatchewan, South Dakota, and western Texas. Specimens with pubescent nodes and glumes are apparently confined to the southwestern United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
CA
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
