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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Bromus scoparius
HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–50 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–20 cm long; 1.5–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open, or contracted; oblong, or obovate; dense; 1–7 cm long; 0.5–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 0.3–0.4 cm long.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 10–15 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–5.5 mm long; 0.6–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3(–5) -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 7.5–9 mm long; 1.5–3 mm wide; herbaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with lobes 0.25–1.6 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; spreading and briefly coiled at base of limb; flat below; 4–10 mm long overall. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.3–0.7 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. North America: northeast USA, southwest USA, and southeast USA.
NOTES Bromeae. Acedo 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
