Ripgut Brome Awns

It produces dense low leafy growth in the fall.

Ripgut brome awns.

Ripgut brome is an annual brome native to europe northern africa and western asia and very widely introduced elsewhere in the world including in north america. The open panicles resemble oats with long often compressed spikelets containing 1 2 inch long awns. Ripgut brome has no auricles. Ripgut brome bromus diandrus exotic and undesirable lemmas taper into 2 narrow teeth.

Bodies are 20 35 mm long and awns are greater than 10 mm. The seeds of the plant can penetrate the skin of livestock and the callus and awns can penetrate the mouth eyes and intestines of livestock. The common name ripgut brome refers to the heavy sclerotization of the species creating a hazard to livestock. Ripgut brome seedlings have a tubular sheath.

Cheatgrass bromus tectorum exotic undesirable and state regulated seedlings have very hairy blades and sheaths. The ligule is long whitish and has a jagged tip. The individual flowers have tiny rough teeth that can injure livestock and pets. It does not have creeping stolons or rhizomes.

Large spikelets with needlelike awns 1 to 2 inches 2 5 5 cm long distinguishes ripgut brome from the much shorter awns of soft brome. Ripgut brome reproduces by seed. 1st glume is 1 veined. Soft hairs cover the leaf blades and sheaths.

Soft brome bromus hordeaceus. It is considered a serious weed of crops in some areas. Description ripgut brome is a loosely cespitose or tufted annual cool season bunchgrass. The spikelets have longer awns than most brome grasses.