Field Brome

Annual. Culms loosely tufted, 40–100 cm tall, 2–5-noded. Leaf sheaths hairy; leaf blades 10–20 cm × 3–6 mm, scattered pubescent, margins and adaxial surface scabrid; ligule 2–4 mm. Panicle lax, 15–30 × 10–20 cm; branches clustered, spreading or nodding, scabrid, each bearing 5–8 spikelets. Spikelets oblong-lanceolate, 12–22 × 3–4 mm, tinged with purple, florets 5–8, overlapping; rachilla ca. 2 mm; glumes unequal, margins membranous, apices acuminate, lower glume 4–6 mm, 3-veined, upper glume 6–8 mm, 5–7-veined; lemmas broadly elliptic or obovate, 7–9 mm, back rounded, 7-veined, glabrous, margins membranous with obtuse angle, apex minutely 2-toothed, awned from ca. 2 mm below apex; awn 7–10 mm, slender, straight; palea subequal to lemma, keels ciliate. Anthers 3–4.5 mm. Caryopsis blackish brown, 7–9 × ca. 1 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug. 2n = 14.

Roadsides, fields, forest margins, moist places. Gansu, Jiangsu [Russia; N Africa, SW Asia, Europe; introduced in America].

Avena arvensis (Linnaeus) Salisbury; Bromus arvensis Linnaeus var. phragmitoides (A. Nyárady) Borza; B. erectus Hudson var. arvensis (Linnaeus) Hudson; B. phragmitoides A. Nyárady; Forasaccus arvensis (Linnaeus) Bubani; Serrafalcus arvensis (Linnaeus) Godron.