Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Bromus distachyos L.; Trachynia distachya (L.) Link

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: er sui duan bing cao

English: false brome, purple false brome, stiff brome

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annual. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 3-30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 1-12 cm long; 1-6 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy. Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 2-8(-10) cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1-7 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.5-1 mm long. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 5-16 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5-6 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 7-8 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex acute. Florets: Fertile lemma oblong; laterally compressed; 8-10 mm long; coriaceous; glaucous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pilose. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 8-12 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Flower: Lodicules 2; ciliate. Anthers 3; 0.5-1 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex. Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis"  (GrassBase).

Habitat/ecology:  In China (Xizang (Mainling)), "dry stony places"  (Flora of China online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary and Madeira Islands, northern Africa, southern Europe, western Asia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Uncommon, in disturbed areas".
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Xizang (Mainling)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011) Colorado, Texas

Additional information:
Web site on Brachypodium distachyon.

Additional online information about Brachypodium distachyon is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Brachypodium distachyon as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Brachypodium distachyon may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Clayton, W.D./Harman, K.T./Williamson, H. 2011. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval [GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora]. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Missouri Botanical Garden. 2011. TROPICOS. Online searchable database.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).