Skip to main content

Bromus porteri - Porter brome

Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Bromopsis porteri, Bromus anomalus
Other common names
nodding brome
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No

Grass Description

Origin
Native
Season
Warm

Montane meadows, grassy slopes, moist grasslands, forest edges and open forest habitats.

Plant Community
Grasslands
Montane Conifer Forest
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Low elevation
5500
High elevation
11500
Similar species
Bromus anomalus, Bromus ciliatus

General Description

Stems solitary or in small tufts, slender, usually with fine, short hairs at the nodes. Seedhead is branched, loose, open and nodding.

Seedheads on 1 to 2 feet stems; up to 4 inches long; drooping. Spikelets rounded; lemmas with short, fine hairs on the back; rhizomes absent. Differs from B. anomalus due to lack of auricles and B. ciliatus which does not have hairy lemmas.

Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
12 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
Yes
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
September

Flower Characteristics

Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes

Seedhead is branched, open, nodding, sometimes 1-sided, with 1 to 2 spikelets. Spikelets are 3/4 to 1 inch long with mostly 5 to 11 flowers.

Vegetative Characteristics

Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat

Both basal and stem leaves, 1/8 to 3/16 inches wide and 1-1/4 to 14 inches long. The leaves may be smooth or occasionally rough to the touch.

Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No

Not available.