Bromus berteroanus Colla
Family: Poaceae, Tribe: Bromeae
Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)
Bromus trinii Desv.
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 3–5 fertile florets with similar-looking though diminished sterile florets at apex, elliptic, laterally compressed, 13–22 mm long, disarticulating below each fertile floret at maturity.
Glumes persistent, similar, lanceolate, shorter than spikelet, thinner than fertile lemma, membranous, keeled, apices acuminate. Lower glume 4–8(10) mm long, 0.3–0.6 length of upper glume, 1-veined, apex awnless or with awn up to 2 mm long. Upper glume 10–16 mm long, 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma, 3-veined, awn 2–3 mm long.
Fertile florets: rachilla persistent, callus short, blunt, pubescent.
Lemma lanceolate to linear, 10–14 mm long, chartaceous, slightly keeled to without keel, 5–7-veined, midvein and lateral veins ribbed, surface long pubescent, apex acuminate, dentate, bifid, teeth 2–3 mm long, awn subapical, 9–20 mm long, geniculate, twisted at base.
Palea lanceolate, same length as lemma (excluding lemma teeth), 2-veined, keels ciliolate.
Caryopsis fusiform to lanceolate, 7–8 mm long x ca. 1.5 mm wide, brown, apex acuminate, 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