Bromus carinatus Hook & Arn var. carinatus Poaceae (Grass Family) Native California Brome Grass

                                        February Photo

Plant Characteristics: Erect perennial, 5-10 (-12) dm. tall; sheaths scabrous to sparsely pilose; panicle 1.5-3 dm. long, with spreading or drooping branches; spikelets 2-3 cm. long (without the awns), mostly 6-10 fld., the florets 5-nerved, 10-15 mm. long, not crowded or overlapping; branches and stalks gen. longer than spikelets; awns 7-15 mm. long; glumes keel-like, glabrous to short soft-hairy, lower 6.5-12 mm., gen. 3 veined, upper 9-15 mm. 5-7 (9)-veined; palea acuminate, nearly equaling the lemma.

Habitat:  Frequent in dry open places below 7500 ft.; many Plant Communities; cismontane and less so in desert; s. Calif.; on our islands; to L. Calif., B.C. Ida. New Mex.  April-Aug.

Name:  Bromos, ancient Greek name for the oat and Latin, carinatus, keel-formed.  (Jaeger 39,47).  Probably refers to the keel-like compressed lemmas.  (John Johnson).

General:  Occasional in the study area.  The photographed specimens were along the road going from the Newporter Inn to San Joaquin Hills Dr. and the North Star Flats.  (my comments).       Plants generally self pollinating, florets often cleistogamous; forms formerly recognized as ssp. widespread, often occurring together.  (Hickman, Ed. 1242).       Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following comments about Bromus carinatus in her autobiography:  "We collected the seeds and ground them for pinole."  (Shipek 86).       The native perennial species of bromegrass form a considerable portion of the forage in open woods of the mountain regions of the western United States.  Bromus carinatus, California brome, and its more eastern ally, B. marginatus, are abundant from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast.  (Hitchcock 31).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 1242; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 952; Roberts 45.

Photo Ref:  Jan-Feb 84 # 10; Mar 1 84 # 11.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 98.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 4/10/03.                        

                                             March Photo