Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Bromus inermis [Bromopsis inermis]
Family
Poaceae
CommonName
smooth brome, Hungarian brome
Presence
yes
Status
exotic
EarliestDate
1914
LatestDate
2025
Ecosystem
basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, subalpine, ruderal
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
Cochetopa
WildlifePreserves
Baca, Monte Vista
Other Localities
Alamosa (town), Del Norte
Comments
In the Watershed smooth brome—perennial and cool-season—grows from the basin up to the subalpine in all regions. It is much more commonly collected from the west side than the east. There are no vouchers from the Culebras, but Bromus inermis surely can be found there, judging from New Mexico records. This exotic grass has been extensively planted for roadside stabilization and restoration, and sometimes for forage. It has naturalized and reportedly crowded out some native grasses. It is susceptible to the ergot fungus, and historically plants growing next to barley and rye fields have spread the disease to seeds, lowering yields. One of the most successful of introduced grasses (from the plant's point of view), Bromus inermis is present in all states of the USA except for Florida—least present in the Deep South and Texas. It follows the Rio Grande drainage to the Mexican border in New Mexico, but not into Texas.