Chilean Brome - introduced (*Bromus lithobius)

Native to Chile. Annual. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• the flower cluster is contracted
• the glumes are shorter than the lemmas
• the spikelets have up to 9 flowers
• the leaves are flat
• the ligule is up to 4mm long and squared at the tip
• the lemmas are awned and the lemmas have two small lobes at the tip
• the awns are about half the length of the lemmas
• the leaves, glumes and lemmas are hairy with short hairs.

Chilean Brome appears to be introduced as a lawn grass. Castlemaine specimens have been found in nature strips.

Bromus: a kind of oat; lithobius: possibly from litho: stone.

1, 2. Chilean Brome. The plant is softly hairy. The awn is about half the length of the lemmas. Castlemaine.

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