Purple False Brome

Annual. Culms tufted, usually ascending, infrequently erect, up to 15(–40) cm tall. Leaf sheaths loosely to densely pilose; leaf blades lanceolate, flat, rather stiff, glaucous, 1–12 cm, 3–4 mm wide, loosely pilose, margins scabrous-pectinate, apex acuminate; ligule ca. 1 mm. Raceme 2–4 cm, spikelets 1–3 crowded at apex of peduncle. Spikelets 2–3 cm, laterally compressed, florets 10–16; glumes pilose or glabrous, apex acute, lower glume lanceolate, 5–6 mm, 5-veined, upper glume lanceolate-oblong, 7–8 mm, 7-veined; lemmas 7.5–10 mm, glabrous, thinly setose or pubescent; awn 7–15 mm. Anthers 0.5–1 mm.

Tufted annual; culms up to 40 cm high, but usually much less, geniculately ascending, rarely erect, glabrous with the upper internodes smooth or scabrid or rarely pubescent throughout. Leaf-blades up to 12 cm long and 4 mm wide, flat, lanceolate-acuminate, rather stiff, glaucous; loosely pilose, scabrid-pectinate on the margins, sheaths loosely to densely pilose. Inflorescence with 1-3 spikelets crowded at the tip of the peduncle. Spikelets 2-3 cm long, slightly compressed, oblong-lanceolate, 10-16-flowered, glaucous; glumes unequal, hairy or glabrous, the lower lanceolate, acute, 5-6 mm long, 5-nerved, the upper lanceolate-oblong, acute, 7-8 mm long, 7-nerved; lemmas lanceolate-oblong, involute, 7.5-10 mm long, glabrous or with a few stiff bristles to pubescent, tipped by an awn up to 15 mm long; anthers 0.5-1 mm long.

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab, N.W.F.P. & Kashmir); Mediterranean region; South west and Central Asia; introduced elsewhere.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: April-May.

Dry stony places. Xizang (Mainling) [Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan; N Africa, SW Asia, S Europe; introduced elsewhere].

Bromus distachyos Linnaeus, Cent. Pl. 2: 8. 1756; Agro-pyron distachyon (Linnaeus) Chevallier; Festuca distachya (Linnaeus) Roth; Trachynia distachya (Linnaeus) Link; Zerna distachya (Linnaeus) Panzer ex B. D. Jackson.