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Red Brome

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Red Brome photos

Scientific Name:Bromus rubens
Red Brome plants
Red Brome plants
Photo: A J Brown

Status:

Native to the Mediterranean. Naturalised across all Australia except the Northern Territory.

Plant Description:

A slender to tufted,
annual grass to 40 cm tall with erect or bent stems. Leaves are softly hairs; blades are flat to 20 cm long and 5 mm wide.

Flower-head is a dense, ovoid to obovoid, erect, panicle to 8 cm long. The spikelets are 12-20 mm long and contain 4-8 florets. The outer glumes are 5-12 mm long; the lower being shorter than the upper. The lemma (larger of the inner flowering bracts) is 10-14 mm long and has a straight (though recurving slightly when mature) awn or bristle, 8-12 mm long.

Habitat:

A common weed of sandy soils, dry lake beds and river flats in the north and north-west parts of Victoria but is also often found on the higher parts of saline flats.

Comments:

There are about 12 species of Brome-grasses found in Victoria, all but one being introduced exotics. Other common species include
Great Brome (Bromus diandrus) and Soft Brome (B. hordeaceus).

Red Brome Photos

Red Brome plants showing drought stress
Red Brome plants showing drought stress
Photo: A J Brown
Emerging flower-head of Red Brome
Emerging flower-head of Red Brome
Photo: A J Brown

Young flower-heads of Red Brome
Young flower-heads of Red Brome
Photo: A J Brown

Mature flower-head of Red Brome
Mature flower-head of Red Brome
Photo: A J Brown

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