Bromus sitchensis var. polyanthus Trin.
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #20789)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Bromus sitchensis var. polyanthus
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Species Information

General:
Perennial grass from fibrous roots; stems 50-150 (200) cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth to soft-hairy; blades (5) 8-15 mm wide, flat, smooth to soft-hairy on the dorsal surfaces at least, thin, the nerves very narrow, scarcely 1/3 as broad as the intervening areas; ear-shaped lobes lacking at the leaf-bases; ligules smooth (to crisp-hairy), jagged, pale, (2) 4-8 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a large panicle, 10-35 cm long, the branches stiffly erect to mostly spreading or drooping, usually bearing only 1 or 2 (3) spikelets near the tips; spikelets closely 4- to 8- (12-) flowered, strongly compressed, tapered from near the base, 2-4 cm long; florets mostly small, closed, self-fertilizing; glumes lanceolate, keeled, the lower ones 3- or 5-nerved, 8-10 mm long, the upper ones, 5- or 7-nerved, 2-3 mm longer; lemmas smooth to more or less short-hairy, keeled on the back, (6) 7-12 mm long, shallowly bidentate, awned, the awns straight or slightly abruptly bent, (5) 7-12 (15) mm long; rachillas completely exposed to often not exposed; paleas about equalling or exceeding the lemmas; anthers (0.5) 1-3 (6) mm long.
Notes:
The treatment here follows that of Calder and Taylor (1968) who suggested that B. aleutensis was merely a depauperate form of B. sitchensis. They can be separated only on minor and overlapping differences in panicle characteristics.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat and Range

Moist to mesic meadows, streambanks, beaches, talus slopes, avalanche tracks and open forests in the lowland, montane and subalpine zones; frequent in BC in and west of the Coast-Cascade Mountains, rare in SE BC; N to AK and S to NW OR.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia