Bromus ciliatus L.
fringed brome
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur     (Photo ID #89540)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Bromus ciliatus
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial grass from fibrous roots; stems usually hairy at the nodes but sometimes smooth, 50-100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths usually open for 1-2 cm, smooth (or the throats fringed with long, fine hairs) to thickly soft-hairy; blades 5-10 (15) mm wide, lax, flat, smooth to soft-hairy on the upper surfaces and sometimes the lower ones; ear-shaped lobes lacking at the leaf-bases; ligules minutely jagged and fringed with fine hairs, 0.5-1 (1.5) mm long.
Notes:
Bromus ciliatus is a variable species with some plants having either shorter anthers or differences in hairiness. The phase, B. richardsonii, recognized by Welsh (1974) and Pavlick (1995) has so many overlapping characters with B. ciliatus that its recognition appears meaningless, even at a subspecific level. I have followed the treatments by Hitchcock and Chase (1951), Hitchcock (1969), Holmgren and Holmgren (1977) and Wilken and Painter (1993) which submerge B. richardsonii within B. ciliatus.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source:  The USDA

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Bromus ciliatus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1140 8 1950
Slope Gradient (%)
18 0 90

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

179 0 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
4 0 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
468
Modal BEC Zone Class
SBS

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BG(1), BWBS(26), CWH(4), ESSF(92), ICH(73), IDF(51), MS(83), PP(2), SBPS(15), SBS(103), SWB(2)

Habitat and Range

Wet streambanks and lake margins to mesic meadows and open forests in the montane zone; frequent in BC in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, NE, TX, NM, AZ and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia