Poaceae
Bromus

Bromus carinatus Hook. & Arn.

First published in Bot. Beechey Voy.: 403 (1840)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Yukon to Central America, Venezuela, Peru. It is a perennial or annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine and has environmental uses.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; short-lived. Culms 30-100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.75 of their length closed; pilose. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate; 0.5 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface, or pilose on abaxial surface; erose. Leaf-blades 3-12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous to pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 10-25 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending. Panicle branches terete. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 4-12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 15-45 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 4-12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 15-45 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5-9 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-15 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 5(-7) -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 11-15 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; 7 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous to pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 3-15 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1-5 mm long; eventually exserted, or retained within floret. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Europe: northern and central. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.
Reference
Bromeae. Fl Pac NW 1993.
[GB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Colombian departments: Bogotá DC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland.
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 45-80 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths pubescent to hirsute. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 8-14 cm long; 1-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent, or pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 5-15 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; simple. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 5-7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 20-30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 5-7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 20-30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 8-11 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; (3-)5-7(-9) -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-13 mm long; 0.9-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 7-9(-11) -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10-14(-17) mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; keeled; distinctly keeled; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; (3-)4-8(-10) mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 4.5-6 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex fleshy.
Distribution
North America: northwest USA and southwest .
Reference
Bromeae. Pavlick 2010.
[GB]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

english
California brome

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0