Part 7 - UNC Herbarium

POACEAE 852
* Briza maxima Linnaeus, Greater Quaking Grass. Cp (GA): disturbed areas; rare, introduced. Reported in e. GA (Jones &
Coile 1988). [= K] {not keyed at this time; synonymy incomplete}
* Briza minor Linnaeus, Lesser Quaking Grass. Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA), Pd (GA, NC, SC): fields, disturbed areas; common,
introduced from Europe. April-June. [= RAB, C, F, G, GW, HC, K, S, Z]
* Briza media Linnaeus, Perennial Quaking Grass, reported for scattered locations in PA (Rhoads & Klein 1993), MD, DE,
and AL (Kartesz 1999). [= K] {not keyed at this time; synonymy incomplete}
Bromus Linnaeus 1753 (Brome-grass)
A genus of about 150 species, north temperate and South American. References: McNeill (1976); Sales (1993, 1994)=Z; Tucker
(1996)=Y; Pavlick (1995)=X; McKenzie & Ladd (1995); Pavlick & Anderton in FNA (in prep.).
1 Lemmas compressed and strongly keeled (the whole spikelet thus strongly laterally flattened); first glume 3-9-nerved;
[section Ceratochloa] ...........................................................................................................................................B. catharticus
1 Lemmas rounded or weakly keeled (the whole spikelet therefore terete to somewhat laterally flattened); first glume either 3-
5-nerved or 1-3-nerved.
2 First glume 3-5 nerved (at least 3 nerves well-developed).
3 Lemma awn 2-3 mm long; plant perennial; [native species of dry woodlands]; [section Pnigma] .............. B. kalmii
3 Lemma awn 3-12 mm long (or 0-6 mm long in B. secalinus); plant annual; [introduced species of disturbed
habitats]; [section Bromus].
4 Panicle compact, the lateral branches erect or ascending, the pedicels < 10 mm long (shorter than the
spikelets) ........................................................................................................... B. hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus
4 Panicle relatively open, the lateral branches erect, ascending, or spreading, the pedicels > 15 mm long (longer
than the spikelets).
5 Margins of the lemmas involute in fruit, wrapping around the grain, exposing the rachilla.....B. secalinus
5 Margins of the lemmas gaping, overlapping in fruit.
6 Panicle branches erect or ascending, relatively stiff and straight .................................. B. racemosus
6 Panicle branches spreading (at least the lower), either relatively stiff and straight, or flexuous and
lax.
7 Panicle branches stiff; lemma awns 5-12 mm long, straight................................B. commutatus
7 Panicle branches flexuous and lax; lemma awns 7-15 mm long, flexuous ..............B. japonicus
2 First glume 1 (-3) nerved (only 1 nerve well-developed).
8 Longer lemma awns 10-60 mm long; plants annual; [introduced species of disturbed habitats]; [section Genea].
9 Panicle dense, spikelike........................................................................................................................B. rubens
9 Panicle open, not spikelike.
10 First glume 13-20 mm long; second glume 20-30 mm long; lemma awns 35-60 mm long......... B. rigidus
10 First glume 5-14 mm long; second glume 8-17 mm long; lemma awns 10-30 mm long.
11 First glume 7-14 mm long; second glume 9-17 mm long; lemma awns 18-30 mm long......B. sterilis
11 First glume 5-7 mm long; second glume 8-11 mm long; lemma awn (7-) 10-17 mm long .................
.......................................................................................................................................... B. tectorum
8 Longer lemma awns 1-6 (-8) mm long; plants perennial; [native and introduced species, collectively of disturbed
and natural habitats].
12 Plants with creeping rhizomes, forming clonal colonies; both surfaces of leaves glabrous or glabrescent;
[section Bromopsis]............................................................................................................................ B. inermis
12 Plants not strongly rhizomatous, the stems solitary or tufted; surfaces of leaf blades usually pubescent
(sometimes sparsely so).
13 Pedicels erect or ascending, mostly shorter than the spikelet; leaves 2-3 mm wide; [introduced, of
disturbed habitats]; [section Bromopsis] ..................................................................................... B. erectus
13 Pedicels ascending at first, later arching-drooping, mostly longer than the spikelet; leaves 4-15 mm
wide; [native, mostly of forests]; [section Pnigma].
14 Lemmas glabrous (or very minutely pubescent) on the back, hairy along the lower margins with
long hairs.............................................................................................................................B. ciliatus
14 Lemmas uniformly hairy over the entire back-surface (or rarely entirely glabrous).
15 Culms with 10-20 leaves, often weak and leaning or reclining; junction of sheaths and base of
leaf blades with 2 well-developed flanges prolonged into auricles or divergent spurs; second
glume primarily 5-nerved; flowering late, with anthesis August-October...............B. latiglumis
15 Culms with 6-10 leaves, erect; junction of sheaths and base of leaf blades lacking flanges or
auricles; second glume primarily 3-nerved; flowering earlier, anthesis from May-August.
16 Underleaf surfaces with a conspicuous satiny sheen (when fresh); summit of sheath
opposite the ligule with a conspicuous tuft of hairs.................................. B. nottowayanus