Bromus berteroanus Colla, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Bromus trinii E. Desv.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Chilean chess

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial. Culms 10-80 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 5-20 cm long; 2-5 mm wide. Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or oblong; dense; 5-15 cm long. Panicle branches scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; scaberulous.  Spikelets comprising 3-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 13-22 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent; obtuse; disarticulating obliquely. Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4-8 mm long; 0.3-0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 0-2 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 10 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2-3 mm long. Florets: Fertile lemma elliptic; 10-12 mm long; chartaceous; keeled; 7 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.25 of lemma length; acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 9-15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea lanceolate; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex. Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy"  (GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Western United State, Argentina, Chile (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 a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 551)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Santa Clara	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Santa Clara	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
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. 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)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Arizona, Colorado, Nevada

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

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

Taxonomic information about Bromus Bromus 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.

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.