Participant Info

Species

Bromopsis ciliata [Bromopsis canadensis] [Bromus canadensis] [Bromus ciliatus]

Family

Poaceae

CommonName

fringed brome

Presence

yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1935

LatestDate

2024

Ecosystem

foothill, montane, subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

WildlifePreserves

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

Comments

NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. Fringed brome in the Watershed has been vouchered fifteen or so times, from a variety of habitats and vegetative zones. It ranges from foothill (e.g., near Crestone, Saguache Co, 1991) to alpine (upper Cottonwood Creek, Saguache Co, 2006). Bromopsis ciliatus is most common in mixed conifer forests. BONAP (2025) shows the species from all Watershed counties in Colorado. It follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico to the Big Bend region of Texas. Its USA distribution is extensive, with records from all states except for Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the Deep South. Superficially, Bromopsis ciliatus can be mistaken for Anisantha tectorum (cheatgrass), but B. ciliatus is perennial, not annual, and its awns are shorter (3-5 mm compared to 10-18 mm). Note that some authorities leave Bromopsis ciliatus in an inclusive Bromus (e.g., Allred et al. 2020; BONAP, 2025).

Annotation