| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Mostly the low Mountains, Piedmont, and Sandhills; scarce in the northern Coastal Plain and Outer Banks.
Native to Europe; in N.A. widespread in the U.S. and southern Canada. | |
| Abundance | Frequent throughout, except uncommon to rare in northern Coastal Plain and Outer Banks. | |
| Habitat | Dry sandy soil of roadsides, sterile fields, railroads, disturbed ground, waste places. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting April-June. | |
| Identification | Cheat-grass is closely similar to B. sterilis, and both have drooping spikelets when mature. However, Cheat-grass has shorter awns and glumes -- see Weakley (2018) for measurements. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Bromus is an important genus of grasses for their value as forage (many species) or for the harm they cause to the guts of grazing animals (a few species). In most of our species, inflorescences arch over and cause the spikelets to droop; thus the plants are often graceful looking. Bromus, Festuca, and Poa all can look quite similar to beginners (and even veterans!), because they all have multi-flowered spikelets. Generally speaking, Bromus taxa have much the largest spikelets, and most Poa taxa have a tuft of wispy hairs at the base of each floret (lacking in the other genera). Bromus and Festuca taxa have obvious awns on the florets that are absent in Poa taxa. With field experience and careful use of keys, one can eventually handle these genera. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Drooping Brome | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | GNR | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
