| Bromus diandrus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Pooideae |
| Genus: | Bromus |
| Species: | B. diandrus |
| Binomial name | |
| Bromus diandrus Roth | |
| Synonyms | |
Anisantha diandra(Roth) Tutin ex Tzvelev | |
Bromus diandrus is a species of grass known by the common names great brome and "ripgut brome".
This is a brome grass which is native to the Mediterranean but has been introduced to much of the rest of the world. It does best in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as California and parts of southern Australia, but it is quite tolerant of many climates. Ripgut brome is a winter annual that grows throughout winter and spring and matures in the summer. The adult plant is one to three feet in height with hairy, rough leaves about a centimeter wide. The membranous ligule is prominent, white with spiky hairs. The wide panicle nods like that of an oat plant, and it bears a large, splayed spikelet with a very long awn which can exceed five centimeters in length. The seeds easily break out of the spikelet. They are very sharp and very rough due to tiny barb-like hairs that face backward, allowing the seed to catch and lodge-like a fish hook. This characteristic makes the seeds a danger to animals, which can easily get a seed lodged in a paw or eye. Motion can cause the seed to work itself deeper into the flesh. This is one of the grass species known to pet owners as "foxtails", a backyard hazard for outdoor cats and dogs.
Ripgut brome can substantially reduce yields when it invades wheat fields. It has naturalized in some areas and is considered a troublesome noxious weed in others. Bromus diandrous is an invasive species in California native habitats.
This bromegrass is a troublesome weed in cereal crops and natural pasture lands. The life cycle of B. diandrous helps it to grow in wheat fields in which it can grow for most of the season without being noticed. Once the grass starts flowering, the open panicle seed head shows the infestation. [1] The damage to wheat crop is through both strong competition, lowering yield, and seed contamination, lowering quality.
Ripgut brome is also troublesome in rangeland if it establishes in high numbers. The grass is of low nutritional value to livestock. Brome seeds can also mix with sheep wool and lower its value. Moreover, sharp awns of ripe seeds can penetrate sheep's skin into the flesh causing pain and lowering carcass value. If ingested, the strong awns can cause injury to sheep's mouth and even intestine, [2] hence the name "rip gut".
Bromus rigidus , known as rigid brome, is very similar in morphology to ripgut brome but differs from the latter in its panicle structure and the callus-scar of its caryopsis. The two species have some differences in their germination behaviour as well. [3] Bromus sterilis , or sterile brome, is similar in most morphological features. It is a slightly smaller plan, an annual or a biennial plant. [2] Bromus hordeaceus , known as soft brome, is similar in early growth stages with smaller leaf blades. The seed head is an erect panicle, smaller than B. diandrus with much smaller seeds and much shorter awns. [1] [2]
Bromus tectorum, known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southern Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, North America and western Central Asia. In the eastern US B. tectorum is common along roadsides and as a crop weed, but usually does not dominate an ecosystem. It has become a dominant species in the Intermountain West and parts of Canada, and displays especially invasive behavior in the sagebrush steppe ecosystems where it has been listed as noxious weed. B. tectorum often enters the site in an area that has been disturbed, and then quickly expands into the surrounding area through its rapid growth and prolific seed production.
Bromus is a large genus of grasses, classified in its own tribe Bromeae. They are commonly known as bromes, brome grasses, cheat grasses or chess grasses. Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160–170 species.
A foxtail is a spikelet or cluster of a grass, that serves to disperse its seeds as a unit. Thus, the foxtail is a type of diaspore or plant dispersal unit. Some grasses that produce a foxtail are themselves called "foxtail", also "spear grass". They can become a health hazard for dogs, cats, and other domestic animals, and a nuisance for people.
In botany, an awn is either a hair- or bristle-like appendage on a larger structure, or in the case of the Asteraceae, a stiff needle-like element of the pappus.
Hordeum jubatum, with common names foxtail barley, bobtail barley, squirreltail barley, and intermediate barley, is a perennial plant species in the grass family Poaceae. It occurs wild mainly in northern North America and adjacent northeastern Siberia. However, as it escaped often from gardens it can be found worldwide in areas with temperate to warm climates, and is considered a weed in many countries. The species is a polyploid and originated via hybridization of an East Asian Hordeum species with a close but extinct relative of Californian H. brachyantherum. It is grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive inflorescences and when done flowering for its inflorescence.
Bromus hordeaceus, the soft brome, is an annual or biennial species of grass in the grass family (Poaceae). It is also known in North America as bull grass, soft cheat, and soft chess.
Ripgut brome or ripgut grass refers to some species of brome grasses:
Bromus interruptus, commonly known as the interrupted brome, is a flowering plant in the grass family. It is endemic to southern and central England, which became extinct in the wild in 1972. After several decades in cultivation, the interrupted brome was re-introduced to Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve in 2004, marking the first known re-introduction of an extinct plant in Britain. The plant was a weed of waste places and arable agriculture, particularly of sainfoin cultivation. It can be distinguished from all other Bromus species by its deeply split, or bifid, palea.
Bromus sterilis is an annual or biennial species of bromegrass known as barren brome, poverty brome, and sterile brome.
Bromus secalinus is a species of bromegrass known as rye brome. The specific epithet secalinus is Latin, meaning "rye-like". The fruits are hard, rounded glumes that appear superficially similar to the rye grain, which gives the brome its common and scientific name. The grass has a diploid number of 28.
Bromus madritensis is a species of brome grass known by the common name compact brome. The specific epithet madritensis refers to Madrid, Spain. It has a diploid number of 28.
Bromus alopecuros is a species of brome grass known by the common name weedy brome.
Bromus catharticus is a species of brome grass known by the common names rescuegrass, grazing brome, prairie grass, and Schrader's bromegrass. The specific epithet catharticus is Latin, meaning cathartic. The common name rescuegrass refers to the ability of the grass to provide forage after harsh droughts or severe winters. The grass has a diploid number of 42.
Castilleja grisea is a rare species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. San Clemente Island is owned by the US Navy so the Navy is involved in a management program to recover this species.
Setaria viridis is a species of grass known by many common names, including green foxtail, green bristlegrass, and wild foxtail millet. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Setaria italica. It is native to Eurasia, but it is known on most continents as an introduced species and is closely related to Setaria faberi, a noxious weed. It is a hardy grass which grows in many types of urban, cultivated, and disturbed habitat, including vacant lots, sidewalks, railroads, lawns, and at the margins of fields. It is the wild antecedent of the crop foxtail millet.
Bromus marginatus is a species of grass known by the common name mountain brome. It is native to western North America, and it is used widely for grazing animals and revegetating landscapes.
Themeda quadrivalvis is a species of grass known by the common names grader grass, habana grass, and kangaroo grass, not to be confused with Themeda triandra, which is also known as kangaroo grass. It is native to India, Nepal, and Malaysia. It can also be found in many other places as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It occurs in the United States, New Caledonia, Fiji, Mauritius, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, China, the Middle East and tropical America. It is a troublesome exotic weed in Australia, especially in northern regions. It is also an agricultural weed in crops such as sugar cane and lucerne.
Bromus japonicus, the Japanese brome, is an annual brome grass native to Eurasia. The grass has a diploid number of 14.
Bromus rigidus, the ripgut brome, is a grass native to Eurasia and naturalized in North America. The specific epithet rigidus means rigid or stiff.
