SafePlants

Bromus polyanthus - Great Basin Brome

Bromus polyanthus, commonly known as Great Basin brome, Colorado brome, or polyanthus brome, is a grass species primarily found in the Great Basin region of the western United States.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy:

• Scientific Name: Bromus polyanthus Scribn. ex Shear
• Common Names: Great Basin brome, Colorado brome, polyanthus brome, Meadow brome, Mountain brome
• Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)

Distribution and Habitat:

• Primarily found in the Great Basin region, including portions of Oregon, Washington, and other areas of the western United States.
• Specifically abundant in the Great Basin and Columbia Basin areas.
• Grows in intermountain regions.

Ecological Role:

• Invasive grasses like Bromus species (including cheatgrass, red brome, and other exotic annual grasses) are significant agents of change in the Great Basin, converting millions of hectares of rangelands.
• Downy brome, a related species, has converted millions of hectares of Great Basin rangelands.
• Mentioned in the context of herbicide-assisted restoration efforts in Great Basin sagebrush steppe infested with medusahead and downy brome.

Interactions with Other Organisms:

• Mentioned in association with cattle introduction into the Great Basin in the 1860s.
• Grows in areas alongside snowberry, Idaho fescue, chokecherry, mountain brome, bluegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

Further Information:

• Discover Life offers a page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Bromus polyanthus.
• Referenced in the "Guidebook to the Seeds of Native and Non-Native Grasses, Forbs and Shrubs of the Great Basin."
• ResearchGate hosts research on herbicide-assisted restoration and physiological responses of invasive grasses like cheatgrass and red brome.