Bromus commutatus
Encyclopedia
Meadow Brome is a species
of plant
in the grass family
Poaceae
. In the United States it is known as Hairy Chess.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the grass family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
. In the United States it is known as Hairy Chess.
Characteristics
The height ranges from 40 to 120 cm (47 in). The panicle is 7-20cm, usually nodding and often spreading, but erect as first. Annual or biennial. The leaf-sheaths are hairy, the upper are usually hairless. B. commutatus is stouter than B. racemosus, the Smooth Brome, with a flower-head not drooping to one side and a broader elongated branched flower head.Habitat and distribution
It is found in meadows, wasteground, road verges, hayfields and rough grassland. Found throughout the United Kingdom, it is common in England on the moist soils of water meadows; it is rare in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It is found naturally throughout Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia. It has been introduced into North America and in the United States is known as 'Hairy Chess'. The flowering period is from May to July.Crop value
The species has no fodder value in the United Kingdom and is regarded as a weed. The attractive inflorescences may be used, either fresh or dry, in flower arrangements.Varieties
Bromus commutatus var. pubens Wats has spikelets which are not hairless, having soft hairs.Sources
- Clapham, A. R., Tutin, T. G. & Warburg, E. F. (1987). Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23290-2.
- Fitter, R., Fitter, A. and Farrer, A. (1984). Collins Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, Rushes, and Ferns. London : Collins. ISBN 0-00-219136-9.
- Hubbard, C. E. (1976). Grasses. Harmondsworth : Penguin Books.
- McLintock, D. and Fitter, R. S. R. (1982). The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers. London : Collins. ISBN 0-00-219363-9.
- Phillips, Roger (1980). Grasses, Ferns, Mosses, & Lichens London : Book Club Associates.