Rip gut brome (Bromus diandrus)
Description
Bromus diandrus is a species of grass known by the common names great brome and "ripgut brome". This is a brome grass which is native to the Mediterranean but has been introduced to much of the rest of the world. It does best in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as California and parts of southern Australia, but it is quite tolerant of many climates. Ripgut brome is a winter annual which grows throughout winter and spring and matures in the summer. The adult plant is one to three feet in height with hairy, rough leaves about a centimeter wide. The membranous ligule is prominent, white in color with spiky hairs. The wide panicle nods like that of an oat plant, and it bears a large, splayed spikelet with a very long awn which can exceed five centimeters in length. The seeds easily break out of the spikelet. They are very sharp and very rough due to tiny barb-like hairs that face backwards, allowing the seed to catch and lodge like a fish hook. This characteristic makes the seeds a danger to animals, which can easily get a seed lodged in a paw or eye. Motion can cause the seed to work itself deeply into flesh. This is one of several grass species known to pet owners as "foxtails", a backyard hazard for outdoor cats and dogs.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Poales
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Family: Poaceae
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Genus: Bromus
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