Bromus catharticus Vahl.
Rescue Brome

Habit:		Stout, more or less tufted annual (winter annual).
Culms:		Erect or somewhat spreading, 10-60 cm. tall, glabrous retrorse-pubescent above the nodes.
Blades:		Flat, narrow, glabrous or sparsely pilose, 3-15 cm long, 1.5-4 mm wide.
Sheaths:	Pilose-pubescent, sometimes glabrous above.
Ligule:		Membranous, 2-5 mm. long, somewhat pubescent, whitish.
Inflorescence:	Panicle 15-25 cm. long, somewhat contracted; branches ascending or rarely spreading,
		naked at the base (reduced to a raceme in small plants).
Spikelets: 	Green, sometimes tinged with purple, strongly flattened, 2-3.5 cm. long, 5-9 mm. broad, 4-11 flowered;
		often drooping; flowers perfect or the upper ones imperfect.
Glumes: 	Keeled, about 1 cm. long, persistent, narrow, unequal, 1st glume 5-7 nerved and 7.5-10 mm long,
		2nd glume 7-9 nerved and 8-12.5 mm long, smooth or slightly scabrous, awnless or awn less than 2 mm. long.
Lemmas:		Broadly lanceolate, keeled, acute, closely overlapping, including the short awn 12-17 mm. long,
		nearly glabrous to strongly scabrous; awn 0.2-3 mm. long, dorsal, inserted just below the 2-toothed apex.
Palea:		About two thirds as long as the lemma, 2-keeled.
Caryopsis:	Furrowed, 3-6 mm. long, adhering to the palea.
Habitat: 	Fields, prairies and waste places. April-June.
Growth period:	Winter annual with flowering in May and June.
Remarks: 	Naturalized
Synonyms:	Bromus brevis Nees ex Steud.
		Bromus haenkeanus (J. Presl) Kunth
		Bromus unioloides Kunth
		Bromus willdenowii Kunth
		Festuca unioloides Willd.