Bromus catharticus Vahl   =Bromus unioloides   Poaceae (Grass Family)   South America   Rescue Grass

                                      October Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Annual or biennial; culms erect or spreading, 6-10 dm. tall; sheaths pilose or glabrous; blades glabrous or sparsely pilose, ca. 3-6 mm. wide; panicle 1-1.3 dm. long, the branches stiff, in 2's or 3's bearing sessile spikelets; spikelets much compressed, 5-13 fld., 1-3 cm. long, the rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the florets; glumes 7-12 mm., 5-9 nerved; lemmas 10-12 mm. long; 9-11 nerved,  finely scabrous-pubescent; awn 0-2.5 mm.

Habitat:  Occasional as a weed below 4000 ft., both desert and cismontane.  April-Nov.

Name:  Greek, bromos, ancient name for the oat.  Latin, uniola, name of an ancient plant. New Latin, oides, resembling. (Jaeger 76,172).  Unioloides, like uniola.  Greek, cathar, a purifier, cleanser.  (Jaeger 48).  I do not see the relationship between the name and the plant unless it might be used as a cathartic.  (my comment).  John Johnson suggests that catharticus may refer to the almost awnless spikelets which could be considered "clean".

General:  Occasional in the study area.  Photographed on the North Star Flats and in the Delhi Ditch.  (my comments).       The seeds were used for food by the California Indians.  (Heizer & Elsasser 243).          Rescue grass, B. catharticus, is cultivated for winter forage in the Southern States from North Carolina to Texas and in the coast district of southern California.  (Hitchcock 31).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 1242; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 959; Roberts 46.

Photo Ref:  Oct 1 83 #  23,24; April-May 85 # 24.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by B. Hailey.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 41.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 10/11/03.

                                               May Photo