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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 erectus
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40–120 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–3 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–30 cm long; 2–3(–7) mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; elliptic; dense, or loose; equilateral, or nodding; 6–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; bearing 1–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches straight; scaberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 15–40 mm long; 3–6 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 5–12 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–14 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 10–15 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; keeled; lightly keeled; 7 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 2–8 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 0.8 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 5–8 mm long; orange, or red. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Caucasus, western Asia, and China. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, and southeast USA. South America: southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.
NOTES Bromeae. Acedo 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
