Plant Species: Bromus vulgaris, Columbia bromegrass
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta -- flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida -- monocots
Family: Poaceae -- grass
Genus: Bromus
Species: vulgaris
Variety:
Common Name: Columbia brome
Species Code: BRVU
Origin: Native to open, dry to moist forests of western North America from British Columbia south to California and east to western Montana and Wyoming.
Rare: no
Form: grass; fibrous-rooted, nonrhizomatous, 30-80cm tall, perennial
Duration: perennial
Longevity: medium
Habitat Type: forest
Wetland Indicator Status: UPL
Leaves: flat blades 5-10mm wide, sheaths closed, auricles lacking
Mature height: 12-32 inches
Flowers: lemma awned, 6-8 mm long.
Flower color: inconspicuous
Bloom: June
Bloom starts on:
Bloom ends on:
Fruit: caryopsis, disarticulation above the glumes.
Vegetation type:
Characteristics:
Highly variable and several varieties have been proposed. Hitchcock et al (1969) recognized 2 intergradient phases as var. eximium and var. vulgaris. More recent treatments do not recognize intraspecific taxa.
Reproduces sexually by seed.
79,600-119,500 seeds/lb (Hassell et al 1996).
122,086 seeds/lb (USDA NRCS Plants Database 2009).
2n=14 (Hitchcock et al 1969, Pavlick & Anderton 2009).
Wind pollinated.
Flowers are perfect.
Fruit is a caryopsis.
Valuable as a forage grass.
Bromus and Calamagrostis species are hosts for the larva of the arctic skipper butterfly (Carterocephalus palaemon). Many grasses are hosts for the larva of the common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala) and the common ringlet (Coenonympha californica) butterflies (Pocewicz 2005).
Comments:
Sun requirement: shade tolerant
Soil moisture: mesic
Precipitation: 11-20 inches (USDA NRCS PLANTS Database 2009).
Fire: very resistant, regeneration from seed to preburn levels within 1-2 years (Patterson et al 1985).
Hazards:
Sowing time: spring
Transplant time: spring
Stratification: none required
Seed yield:
Seed harvest: easy
Seed first harvest:
Seed cleaning: easy
Planting duration: moderate
Seed insect problem:
Seed shatter: increases with seed maturity
Seed size: large
Seed harvest date:
Seed comments:
Key words:
Alternate Genus:
Alternate Species:
Alternate Variety:
Notes: Native Bromus species are susceptible to head smut (Ustilago bullata). Resistance to head smut varies by genotype (Kreizinger et al 1948).
References:
Darris, Dale C. 2005. Seed Production and Establishment of Western Oregon Native Grasses. In: Dumroese, R. K.; Riley, L. E.; Landis, T. D., tech. coords. 2005. National proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations-2004; 2004 July 12-15; Charleston, NC; and 2004 July 26-29; Medford, OR. Proc. RMRS-P-35. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Hassell, Wendell, W. Rocky Beavers, Steve Ouellette, and Thomas Mitchell. 1996. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species. US Dept of Interior and USDA, NRCS. Denver, CO.
Hitchcock, C. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion Ownbey, and J.W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 5 vol.
Kreizinger, E.J., George W. Fischer, and A.G. Law. 1947. Reaction of Mountain brome and Canada wildrye Strains to Heat Smut (Ustilago bullata). Journal of Agricultural Research 75:105-111.
Patterson, Patricia A, Kenneth E. Neiman, and Jonalea R. Tonn. 1985. Field Guide to Forest Plants of Northern Idaho. USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station. General Technical Report INT-180. Ogden, Utah.
Pavlick, L.E., and L.K. Anderton. Bromus. In: Manual of Grasses for North America. Intermountain Herbarium, Utah State University, Logan Utah. Online at http://www.herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/ Accessed 7/26/09.
Pocewicz, Amy. 2005. Host Plants of Palouse Butterfly Species. 2 page handout to accompany the April 2005 presentation to the Palouse Prairie Foundation.
USDA NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 26 July 2009). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.