Brome (5)
Downy Brome
Bromus tectorum
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
Cheatgrass, Downy Chess
Photo taken on:
July 6, 2011
Location:
Crested Butte South, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Dry fields, waste areas
Grows to 2ft with drooping seed heads and soft, hairy,
flat leaves. Flowers are purplish, hairy and have bristles up to ⅝" long
(photo below at left). Seed heads in September (photo at right).
It is considered noxious because
it competes with more desirable grasses for moisture.
Rescue Grass
Bromus catharticus
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA: Brome Grass
Photo taken on:
September 15, 2011
Location:
White Rock, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Waste areas, roadsides
Grows to 2ft without hairs or bristles. Leaves are flat and narrow. Distinguished by its strongly flattened flower spikes. It turns straw-colored when mature.
Smooth Brome
Bromus inermis
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA: Awnless Brome, Perennial Brome
Photo taken on:
July 18, 2011
Location:
Taylor Canyon, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist to dry open sites
Grows to 4ft tall erect. It is distinguished by a prominent W-shaped constriction
on the flat leaf blades.
Flower clusters are open and branched, green to pale brown, sometimes
purplish. Smooth Brome is
widely planted for pasture grazing, hay and wildlife cover.
Rye Brome
Bromus secalinus
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA: Cheat, Common Chess
Photo taken on:
June 24, 2014
Location:
Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Grain fields, meadows, waste areas
Grows to over 3ft with a light green stem sheathed with darker green, narrow leaves. Nodes are swollen and dark-colored. Flower spikes are flat and ¾" long, and droop when they become heavy with seeds. The ligule is a prominent, ragged membrane. It is considered a noxious weed in many states.
Weeping Brome
Bromus frondosus
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA: Cheat, Common Chess
Photo taken on:
August 1, 2015
Location:
Lake Irwin, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills and montane
Habitat:
Rocky slopes, open woods
Grows erect 20" to 40" with drooping flower heads. Stems, leaves and spikelets are hairless. Leaves are flat and wide. The spikelets have ¼" bristles. Lower glumes have three nerves. Also observed at Bandelier National Monument, NM a few days later.