Bromus arenarius Labill.
Family: Poaceae, Tribe: Bromeae
Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)
none
Pertinent Common Names (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other common names)
Australian chess, sand brome
Primary Disseminule Type
floret
Description (diagnostics are in brown)
Spikelets solitary, pedicelled, consisting of 5–14 fertile florets with similar-looking though diminished sterile florets at apex, lanceolate, laterally compressed to terete, 10–30 mm long, disarticulating below each fertile floret at maturity.
Glumes persistent, lanceolate, shorter than spikelet, membranous, densely pilose, without keel, apices acute. Lower glume 6–8(10) mm long, 0.75–0.8 length of upper glume, 3–4-veined. Upper glume 8–10(12) mm long, 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma, (5)7-veined.
Fertile florets: rachilla persistent, 2 mm long, scaberulous, callus short, blunt, with minute hairs.
Lemma oblanceolate to oblong, 12–15 mm long x 1–1.8 mm wide, chartaceous to membranous, much thinner above and on margins, with rounded back (no keel), 7-veined, midvein ribbed, lateral veins obscure to somewhat ribbed, surface densely pilose, scabrous, apex bifid, teeth <1 mm long, awn subapical, (6)10–16 mm long, straight or curved.
Palea 0.8 length of lemma, hyaline, keels ciliolate.
Caryopsis elliptic, weakly inrolled, 7–8 mm long x 1.3–1.8 mm wide, purplish brown, apex fleshy and hairy, hilum linear, same length as caryopsis.
Similar Species
Similar Species Comparison Chart
Risk Assessment (codes in yellow or red indicate cause for concern; assessments are current as of mid-2011; click AUQP, NZBORIC, or NZBPI for access to the most recent versions of these databases and possible assessment changes)
AUQP, NZBORIC, NZBPI