California Brome
Bromus carinatus
Also known as: Hoary Brome
Lockeford Plant Materials Center (CAPMC)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Bromus
- Species:
- Bromus carinatus
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Annual | Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 4-6 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- mar, apr, may, jun, jul, aug
- Bloom Colors:
- green
Native Range
United States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Yukon
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- adaptable to various soil types within range
Germination Information
Pre-treatment: Seeds placed in 0-1°C (32-34°F) for a 10-day cold stratification treatment and then exposed to 22-25°C (72-77°F). Some references suggest pretreating seed with antifungal seed pretreatments such as 'Vitavax' for smut control. No pretreatment required for container (plug) propagation.
Establishment: Germination is fairly rapid; stand emergence generally is very good at 21 days. Transplant survival averages 75% for container (plug) propagation. Seed collection varies widely between lots and years. Seed is easily collected by hand-stripping into cloth sacks or by hand-sickle in more solid stands. Smutted seed heads were quite common in some years both in native stands and at the Corvallis PMC in increase fields.
Source: npn.rngr.net