Bromus briziformis

Fisch. & C.A. Mey.
Common names: Rattlesnake brome
Introduced
Synonyms: Bromus brizaeformis
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 228.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants annual. Culms 20-62 cm, erect or ascending. Sheaths densely pilose; ligules 0.5-2 mm, hairy, obtuse, erose; blades 3-13 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, pilose to pubescent on both surfaces. Panicles 5-15 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, open, secund, nodding; branches sometimes longer than the spikelets, curved to reflexed. Spikelets 15-27 mm long, 8-12 mm wide, ovate, laterally compressed; florets 7-15, bases concealed at maturity; rachilla internodes concealed at maturity. Glumes smooth or scabridulous; lower glumes 5-6 mm, 3-5-veined; upper glumes 6-8 mm, 7-9-veined; lemmas 9-10 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, inflated, obovate or rhombic, coriaceous, smooth or scabridulous, obscurely 9-veined, rounded over the midvein, margins hyaline, 1-1.3 mm wide, abruptly angled, not inrolled at maturity, apices acute to obtuse, bifid, teeth shorter than 1 mm; awns usually absent, sometimes to 1 mm, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices; anthers 0.7-1 mm. Caryopses equaling or shorter than the paleas, thin, weakly inrolled or flat. 2n = 14.

Distribution

Wash., Conn., Mass., Vt., Del., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wyo., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., Pa., B.C., Ont., Calif., Nev., Colo., Alaska, Ill., Ind., N.Dak., Nebr., S.Dak., Md., Ohio, Utah, Mich.

Discussion

Bromus briziformis grows in waste places, road verges, and overgrazed areas. It is native to southwest Asia and Europe, and is adventive in the Flora region, occurring from southern British Columbia to as far south as New Mexico, and in scattered locations eastward. The unique shape of its spikelets has led to its use in dried flower arrangements and as a garden ornamental. The common name may refer to the similarity of the spikelets to a rattlesnake's tail.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Bromus briziformis"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse +
Leon E. Pavlickf +
Fisch. & C.A. Mey. +
divaricate +
3 (?) +  and 0 (?) +
flexuous +  and straight +
distinct +
subterminal +  and terminal +
geniculate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br />) +
not evident +
pilose +  and pubescent +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
sometimes longer +
spikelike +
Rattlesnake brome +
not branching +
ascending +  and erect +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (62 cm620 mm <br />0.62 m <br />) +
not woody +
Wash. +, Conn. +, Mass. +, Vt. +, Del. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Oreg. +, Wyo. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, B.C. +, Ont. +, Calif. +, Nev. +, Colo. +, Alaska +, Ill. +, Ind. +, N.Dak. +, Nebr. +, S.Dak. +, Md. +, Ohio +, Utah +  and Mich. +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
7 +  and 15 +
terete +  and laterally compressed +
1-9(11)-veined +
always shorter +  and usually shorter +
lanceolate +
subtending +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
mucronate +  and acute +
unequal +
uncinate +
solid +  and hollow +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
rounded +, rhombic +, obovate +  and inflated +
coriaceous +
6mm +  and 8mm +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
1mm;1.3mm +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
hairy +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
reduced +
secund +  and open +
5cm +  and 15cm +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
converging +  and parallel +
Introduced +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br />) +
1 +  and 60 +
not viviparous +
compressed +  and ovate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
8mm +  and 12mm +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Bromus brizaeformis +
Bromus briziformis +
Bromus sect. Bromus +
species +
membranous +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +