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Bromus tectorum
Also called Cheatgrass, Downy Brome, Downy Chess, June Grass, Bronco Grass, Wall Brome, Military Grass
Bromus tectorum, known as downy brome, drooping brome, or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southern Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, North America, and western Central Asia. In the eastern US, B. tectorum is common along roadsides and as a crop weed, but usually does not dominate an ecosystem. It has become a dominant species in the Intermountain West and parts of Canada, and displays especially invasive behavior in the sagebrush steppe ecosystems, where it has been listed as noxious weed. B. tectorum often enters the site in an area that has been disturbed, and then quickly expands into the surrounding area through its rapid growth and prolific seed production.
B. tectorum grows in many different climates. It is found primarily in the 150–560 mm (5.9–22.0 in) precipitation zone. It can grow in almost any type of soil, including B and C horizons of eroded areas and areas low in nitrogen. B. tectorum is quick to colonize disturbed areas. It is most often found on coarse-textured soils and does not grow well on heavy, dry, and/or saline soils. It grows in a relatively narrow range of soil temperatures; growth starts at 2.0–3.5 °C (35.6–38.3 °F) and slows when temperatures exceed 15 °C (59 °F).
Aleutian brome · Weedy brome · Nodding brome · Australian brome · Arizona brome · Field brome · Bromus auleticus · Lesser Hairy Brome · Chilean chess · Meadow brome · Patagonian Brome · Rattlesnake brome
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bromus tectorum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
