Bromus squarrosus L.
corn brome (hairy corn brome; squarrose brome)
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #26333)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

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

Species Information

General:
Annual grass from fibrous roots; stems erect to abruptly bent and ascending, 20-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Lower sheaths densely soft-hairy to woolly, with long intertwined, curly hairs; blades (2) 3-8 mm wide, 5-15 cm long, flat, densely soft-hairy on both sides; ear-shaped lobes lacking at the leaf-bases; ligules more or less fringed with fine hairs, hairy on the back, more or less jagged, 1-1.5 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open, nodding, racemose or nearly racemose panicle, 7-20 cm long, with all the branches and flowers on 1 side of the axis, the branches equalling or shorter than the spikelets; spikelets 8- to 30-flowered, somewhat compressed, broadly cylindrical or egg-shaped to lanceolate, smooth to short-hairy, 1.5-7 cm long, 7-15 mm wide; glumes smooth to rough, the lower ones 3- to 5- (7-) nerved, 4.5-7 mm long, the upper ones 7-nerved, 6-9 mm long; lemmas 7- to 9-nerved, firm-papery, smooth or more or less rough, somewhat compressed, with broadly translucent margins, 8-11 mm long, up to 6-8 mm wide, rounded at the tips, bidentate, awned, the awns flattened, sometimes twisted at the base, widely spreading at maturity, about 10 mm long, arising 1.5 mm or more below the lemma tips; anthers 1-1.3 mm long.

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.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Bromus squarrosus

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)
787 435 1137
Slope Gradient (%)
20 0 41

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

244 115 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 1 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
7
Modal BEC Zone Class
PP

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

BG(2), IDF(2), PP(3)

Habitat and Range

Dry to mesic fields, roadsides, disturbed sites and waste places in the steppe and montane zones; rare in WC, SC and SE BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia