Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Bromus L.

Bromus firmior (Nees) Stapf

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Africa.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms 50-150 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 20-40 cm long; 4-8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 15-30 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15-45 mm long; 4-8 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15-45 mm long; 4-8 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 8-16 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1-3 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-20 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 10-20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 3-12 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3. 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
Africa: south.
Reference
Bromeae. Gr S Afr 1993.

Native to:

Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Northern Provinces

Bromus firmior (Nees) Stapf appears in other Kew resources:

First published in W.H.Harvey & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Cap. 7: 733 (1900)

Accepted by

  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0