Poaceae
Brachypodium

Brachypodium pinnatum (L.) P.Beauv.

First published in Ess. Agrostogr.: 101, 155 (1812)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia to Himalaya, Eritrea. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

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. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 30-120 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2 mm long. Leaf-blades 15-45 cm long; 2-6 mm wide; firm, or flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; drooping, or erect; bilateral; 4-25 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3-15 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax; 2 -rowed. Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; 1-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 8-22 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 20-40 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 8-22 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 20-40 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; 3-5 mm long; 0.6-0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3-6 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5-7 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 6-10 mm long; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; 1-5 mm long overall. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 3.5-4.5 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, and Mongolia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: New Zealand. South America: southern South America.
Reference
Brachypodieae. CEH.
[GB]

Common Names

english
chalk false broom

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