Bromus madritensis L.
Family: Poaceae, Tribe: Bromeae
Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)
Bromus rubens L.
Pertinent Common Names (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other common names)
compact brome, red brome
Primary Disseminule Type
floret
Description (diagnostics are in brown)
Spikelets solitary, pedicelled, consisting of 4–13 fertile florets with similar-looking though diminished sterile florets at apex, cuneate, laterally compressed, 15–50 mm long, disarticulating below each fertile floret at maturity.
Glumes persistent, dissimilar, shorter than spikelet, gaping, chartaceous, pilose, keeled, margins hyaline. Lower glume linear, 5–11 mm long, 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume, 1(3)-veined, apex acute or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, 8–15 mm long, 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma, 3(5)-veined, apex acute.
Fertile florets: rachilla persistent, callus pointed.
Lemma elliptic to linear-lanceolate, often arched, 10–20 mm long x 1.5–3 mm wide, chartaceous, much thinner on margins, with rounded back (no keel), 5–7-veined, midvein somewhat ribbed, lateral veins obscure to somewhat ribbed, surface scaberulous, glabrous or pilose, apex acuminate, bifid, teeth 1–3 mm long, awn subapical, 7–25 mm long, straight or curved, scabrous.
Palea 0.8 length of lemma, keels ciliolate.
Caryopsis linear, 8–13 mm long x ca. 1.8 mm wide, brown (more purplish in ssp. rubens than in ssp. madritensis), 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