[GRAMINEAE] – GRASS FAMILY

Plant: annuals or perennials Stem: jointed stem is termed a culm – internodial stem most often hollow but always solid at node, mostly round, some with stolons (creeping stem) or (underground stem) Root: usually fibrous, often very abundant and dense : mostly linear, sessile, parallel veins, in 2 ranks (vertical rows), sheath usually open or split and often overlapping, but may be closed Flowers: small in 2 rows forming a (1 to several flowers), may be 1 to many with pedicels or sessile to stem; each flower within a spikelet is between an outer limna (bract, with a midrib) and an inner palea (bract, 2-nerved or keeled usually) – these 3 parts together make the floret – the 2 bottom bracts of the spikelet do not have flowers and are termed glumes (may be reduced or absent), the rachilla is the axis that hold the florets; sepals and petals absent; 1-6 but often 3 ; 1 pistil, 1-3 but usually 2 styles, ovary superior, 1 ovule – there are exceptions to most everything!! Fruit: seed-like grain (seed usually fused to the pericarp (ovary wall) or not) Other: very large and important family; Group Genera: 600+ genera; locally many genera 2 slides per WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive POACEAE [GRAMINEAE] – BROMEAE TRIBE

Meadow Brome [Hairy Chess]; commutatus Schard. (Introduced) – Bromeae (Tribe) Soft [Bald] Brome [Soft Chess] [Lopgrass]; Bromus hordeaceus L. (Introduced) Smooth Brome; Bromus inermis Leyss. (Introduced) Barren (Poverty) Brome; Bromus sterilis L (Introduced) – Bromeae (Tribe) Downy Brome [Chess][Cheatgrass]; Bromus tectorum L. (Introduced) – Bromeae (Tribe) Meadow Brome [Hairy Chess] – p1 USDA Bromus commutatus Schard. (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Bromeae (Tribe) La Petite Gemme Prairie, Polk County, Missouri Notes: annual, erect, to 1+ m, usually much smaller; Culm terete, nodes swollen and greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades hairy (pilose); Leaf Sheaths hairy or not, closed above midway to node; Ligules membranous (up to 2+ mm), hairy or not; Inflorescence an open panicle (up to 15-20 cm tall), lower branches more spreading than ascending; Spikelets averaging 14-15 mm, only slightly compressed; Florets (3-4 to 9+) sessile on rachilla, separated by 1-2 mm; Glumes present, lower glume smaller than upper, lower with 5 veins, upper with 7(+); Lemma mostly 8+ mm, shoulder more angled than round, awns (up to 1.2+ cm) extend from upper part of lemma between 2 small teeth; Palea smaller than lemma; spring to summer [V Max Brown, 2013] Meadow Brome [Hairy Chess] – p2 1 Floret 1 Spikelet Bromus commutatus Schard. (Introduced) Lemmas [V Max Brown, 2013] awned very similar to B. racemosus

Lemma, Shoulder of inflorescence Lemma more somewhat angled than sparse; lower rounded inflorescence more spreading than ascending florets Palea Teeth present, one on each side of awn which extends from near tip of Lemma,

Caryopsis

Rachis

Mature Lemma > 8mm Florets sessile Glumes USDA Inflorescence compact, Soft [Bald] Brome [Soft Chess] spikelets mostly longer [Lopgrass] – p1 than branches, ascending Bromus hordeaceus L. (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Bromeae (Tribe) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, erect, to 70+ cm; Culm terete, nodes greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades usually hairy; Leaf Sheaths hairy (pilose); Ligules membranous, erose, often hairy; Inflorescence a compact panicle up to 12+ cm tall; Spikelets 12+ to 23+ mm; Florets (5 to 10); Glumes present, upper slightly longer, lower with 3-5 nerves; Lemma up to 11 mm, 7-9 veined, short hairy, apical teeth present, awns up to 8+ mm; Palea smaller than lemma, ciliate on edge; various habitats; spring to summer (varieties present) [V Max Brown, 2014]

Leaf blades usually hairy Leaf Sheath hairy (pilose), Ligule membranous, overlapping usually erose, often hairy Soft [Bald] Brome [Soft Chess] [Lopgrass] – p2 Bromus hordeaceus L. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2014] Spikelet (about 20 mm in this sample + awn extension), 9 florets present

Glumes hairy Floret

Apical teeth of Lemma

Lemma Palea

Lemmas usually Palea nearly transparent with finely and evenly ciliate margins, shorter than hairy, 2 florets Lemma shown Glumes Smooth Brome – p1 USDA Bromus inermis Leyss. (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Bromeae (Tribe) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, erect, to 1.3+ m; Culm terete, mostly but sometimes hairy, rhizomes present; nodes greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaves 3-6, up to 15 mm wide, 35+ cm long, mostly glabrous; Leaf Sheaths glabrous, closed near top of sheath; Ligules membranous, up to 3 mm, lacerate; Inflorescence a panicle (up to 25 cm), ascending to spreading; Spikelets to 40 mm, with 4-10 florets, branches mostly longer than spikelets; Glumes present (see photos); Lemma to 12+ mm, very short awns or none, up to 3 mm; Palea smaller than lemma; anthers 3-6 mm; many habitats including disturbed areas; late spring to summer [V Max Brown, 2014]

Sheath closed neat top rhizomes Smooth Brome – p2 Bromus inermis Leyss. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2014]

Inflorescence up to 20+ Spikelet with 6 florets (varies from 4-10 florets) cm, ascending to spreading at maturity

3 Anthers (5 mm long here) Lower Glume here 8 mm

Palea here Upper Glume 8 mm here 10 mm

Lemma here 10 mm Spikelet here 25 mm (varies from 20-40+ mm) stigma

About 2.5 mm between florets on Rachilla Barren (Poverty) Brome – p1 USDA Bromus sterilis L (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Bromeae (Tribe) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, erect, to 30-90+ cm, tuft forming; Culm terete, glabrous to downy, nodes greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaves 3-8, Blades soft hairy; Leaf Sheaths downy, closed above midpoint; Ligules membranous, 2-3 mm, lacerate; Inflorescence a panicle (up to 20 cm), ascending to spreading; Spikelets to 5c, (including awns) with 4-9 florets, branches mostly longer than spikelets; Glumes present; Lemma to 2 cm, awns to 3 cm, 2 teeth at apex (1-3 mm); Palea smaller than lemma; spring to summer (flowers early) [V Max Brown, 2014]

Ligule membranous, lacerate

Inflorescence ascending to spreading Barren (Poverty) Brome – p2 Spikelets of 2+ cm with awns up to 3+ cm Bromus sterilis L (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2014]

4+ florets in a spikelet

2 teeth (1-2 mm long) flanks the dark green awn at the Lemma (1.5 apex of a floret cm) + awn

Branches vary in length but mostly longer than spikelets

Lower Upper Glume Glume (7 mm) (10 mm) Downy Brome [Chess][Cheatgrass] – p1 USDA Bromus tectorum L. (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Bromeae (Tribe) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, erect, to 50-70 cm; Culm terete and downy, nodes swollen and greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaves 2-5, Blades hairy or not; Leaf Sheaths hairy or not, closed above midpoint; Ligules membranous, 2-3 mm, lacerate; Inflorescence an open panicle (up to 20 cm) and nodding to one side; Spikelets 1-2 cm + awns with 3-4 to 8 florets, branches longer than spikelets; Glumes present, lower glume smaller with usually 1 vein, upper glume to 1.0+ cm with 3-5 veins, often downy hairy; Lemma from 1.0 to 1.2 cm, awns (up to 2 cm) extends between 2 small teeth; Palea smaller than lemma; Ligule 2-3 mm, spring to summer (flowers early) lacerate [V Max Brown, 2014]

Leaf sheath and culm often downy hairy

Panicles nodding Downy Brome [Chess][Cheatgrass] – p2 Bromus tectorum L. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2014] Awns from 1.0 – 2.0 cm, mostly straight

Panicle branches Body of Spikelet 1.0 – 1.2+ cm, soft downy hairy mostly longer than spikelet bodies Often purple tinged at maturity

This Spikelet with 4 florets, each Lemma with an awn

Lower glume

Upper Glume, 1.0 cm or less usually Florets

Glume Lemma of first Floret, Palea hidden Panicle nodding to one side with several spikelets per branch

Small tooth on each side of awn base Second Floret