Submodule 5: Most Common Western Rangelands Weeds

Cheatgrass

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is winter annual grass that grows between 2 in (5 cm) and 2 ft (60 cm) in height. It has a branched base and is characteristically red to purple when mature. Like all grasses, it has fibrous roots. It germinates in the fall (or sometimes the early spring) and matures within two months. As with all annual grasses, it reproduces by seed. The seed head is a group of 5-8 florets (called spikelets in grasses) that is drooping and profusely branched, holding many seeds during early spring and summer. The flowers are hairy, hence the common name of downy brome. The leaves, or blades, are flat with parallel venation. They are attached at the base of the plant and are usually 0.1 to 0.25 in (0.3 cm to 0.6 cm) wide. Leaves are green in the fall and early spring before native grasses have started growing for the year. In the summer, cheatgrass dries and becomes brown; this remaining plant material presents a great fire danger.

(photo courtesy usgs.gov)