Bromus inermis

Leyss.
Common names: Smooth brome Hungarian brome Brome inerme
Introduced
Synonyms: Villosus Aristatus Bromopsis inermis
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 206.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants perennial; rhizomatous, rhizomes short to long-creeping. Culms 50-130 cm, erect, single or a few together; nodes (2) 3-5 (6), usually glabrous, rarely pubescent; internodes usually glabrous, rarely pubescent. Sheaths usually glab¬rous, rarely pubescent or pilose; auricles sometimes present; ligules to 3 mm, glabrous, truncate, erose; blades 11-35 (42) cm long, 5-15 mm wide, flat, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent or pilose. Panicles 10-20 cm, open, erect; branches ascending or spreading. Spikelets 20-40 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, sometimes purplish, with (5) 8-10 florets. Glumes glabrous; lower glumes (4) 6-8 (9) mm, 1 (3) -veined; upper glumes (5) 7-10 mm, 3-veined; lemmas 9-13 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, rounded over the midvein, usually glabrous and smooth, sometimes scabrous, margins sometimes sparsely puberulent, the basal part of the backs less frequently so, apices acute to obtuse, entire; awns absent or to 3 mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices; anthers 3.5-6 mm. 2n = 28, 56.

Distribution

Pa., Conn., N.J., N.Y., Wash., Va., Del., D.C., Wis., W.Va., Kans., Minn., N.Dak., Nebr., Okla., S.Dak., Mass., Maine, N.H., R.I., Vt., Wyo., N.Mex., Tex., La., Ariz., Idaho, Mich., N.C., Tenn., Calif., Nev., Ark., Colo., Ga., Iowa, Ill., Ind., Ky., Md., Mo., Miss., Mont., Ohio, Oreg., Utah, Alaska, Alta., B.C., Greenland, Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, S.C.

Discussion

Bromus inermis is native to Eurasia, and is now found in disturbed sites in Alaska, Greenland, and most of Canada as well as south throughout most of the contiguous United States except the southeast. It has also been used for rehabilitation, and is planted extensively for forage in pastures and rangelands from Alaska and the Yukon Territory toTexas.

Bromus inermis is similar to B. pumpellianus, differing mainly in having glabrous lemmas, nodes, and leaf blades, but lack of pubescence is not a consistently reliable distinguishing character. Bromus inermis also resembles a recently introduced species, B. riparius, from which it differs primarily in its shorter or nonexistent awns.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Bromus inermis"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse +
Leon E. Pavlickf +
Leyss. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
distinct +
subterminal +  and terminal +
geniculate +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
not evident +
pilose +, pubescent +  and glabrous +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
spreading;ascending +
spikelike +
Smooth brome +, Hungarian brome +  and Brome inerme +
not branching +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (130 cm1,300 mm <br />1.3 m <br />) +
not woody +
Pa. +, Conn. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Wash. +, Va. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, Kans. +, Minn. +, N.Dak. +, Nebr. +, Okla. +, S.Dak. +, Mass. +, Maine +, N.H. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Wyo. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, La. +, Ariz. +, Idaho +, Mich. +, N.C. +, Tenn. +, Calif. +, Nev. +, Ark. +, Colo. +, Ga. +, Iowa +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Md. +, Mo. +, Miss. +, Mont. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Alaska +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Greenland +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +  and S.C. +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
8 +  and 10 +
terete +  and laterally compressed +
1-9(11)-veined +
always shorter +  and usually shorter +
lanceolate +
subtending +
mucronate +  and acute +
unequal +
uncinate +
solid +  and hollow +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
rounded +, elliptic +  and lanceolate +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and coriaceous +
lacerate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
6 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
concealed +  and prominent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
3 +  and 5 +
2 +  and 1 +
hairy +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
reduced +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
pilose +  and pubescent +
Introduced +
1 +  and 60 +
not viviparous +
elliptic +  and lanceolate terete +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Villosus +, Aristatus +  and Bromopsis inermis +
Bromus inermis +
Bromus sect. Bromopsis +
species +
membranous +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +