Bromus tectorum L.

Downy Chess; Downy Brome; Downy Cheat

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Downy Chess is an introduced herbaceous annual in the Grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa. In Alabama it can be throughout most of the state. Downy Chess occurs on roadsides, in fields and pastures, along railroads, and in waste areas. It is a winter annual with a fibrous root system. Downy Chess germinates in the autumn and grows through the winter before flowering and dying in the spring. Plants are often branched at the base with multiple erect stems up to 2 feet in height. The stems are green in color, round in cross section, and glabrous or slightly pubescent. The leaves are alternate, linear, pubescent on both surfaces, and with marginal trichomes. The leaves have a basal sheath that encloses the stem and is long pubescent. Flowers are produced in open, drooping panicles. Each panicle contains up to 30 spikelets. Each spikelet is 2-9 flowered. The lemma has a long, straight awn. The fruit is a grain. Downy Chess is an invasive species. It is a significant problem in the western United States where it replaces native vegetation and increases fire frequency and intensity.—A. Diamond

**

Not Native

**