Bromus madritensis

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–60 cm long; 2–4 -noded. Leaf-sheaths hirsute, or hispid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–4 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades 2–20 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent, or hirsute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; ovate, or obovate; 4–15 cm long; 1.5–6 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 0.5–3.5 cm long; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches straight; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 15–45 mm long; 2–6 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; gaping. Lower glume linear; 6–11 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or hirsute. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–15 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or hispid. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or elliptic; 10–19 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; glabrous, or pilose. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; incised 0.1 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 7–23 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 0.8 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.5–2 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; 8–11 mm long; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, northeast tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, and China. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: north-central. North America: northwest USA, southwest USA, and Mexico. South America: southern South America.

NOTES Bromeae. WDC 2007.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.