Bromus tectorum (downy brome, cheatgrass)

Bromus tectorum

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Bromus tectorum (downy brome, cheatgrass) is an annual grass (family Poaceae). It is the dominant grass on sagebrush (Artemisia species) rangelands on the Modoc Plateau in northeastern California and along the eastern Sierra Nevada to Owens Valley. This weed overcrowds native grasslands and croplands. Replacement of native grasses by cheatgrass increases the frequency and extent of wildfires.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: High

Cal-IPC Resources on Bromus tectorum

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Bromus tectorum.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Bromus tectorum.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• (1993). California Exotic Pest Plant Council draft list exotic plants of greatest concern October 1993. CalEPPC News. 1: 6.
• (1994). Exotic pest plants of greatest ecological concern in California September 1994. CalEPPC News. 2: 10.
• (1995). Biological control of invasive exotic pest plant species: A report on the importance of maintaining and enhancing our nation's biological control capabilities. CalEPPC News. 3: 6-10.
• Brooks, M. and K. Berry (1999). Ecology and management of alien annual plants in the California desert. CalEPPC News. 7: 4-6.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• DiTomaso, J. M. (2005). Efficacy and safety of new herbicides on the horizon. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• Maher, E. and E. Stanton (2005). Blurring edges: A test of weed control methods used along edges of sage scrub patches to encourage shrub colonization into abandoned agricultural fields. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• White, V. A. and J. S. Holt (2001). Emergence and development of Cynara cardunculus: Developing seedling removal strategies for an invasive weed. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium 2001. San Diego, CA.
• Young, J. A. and R. R. Blank (1995). Cheatgrass and wildfires in the intermountain west. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '95. J. Lovich, J. Randall and M. Kelly. Pacific Grove, CA.

Other Resources on Bromus tectorum

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• The Nature Conservancy Element Stewardship Abstract - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Natural Resource Projects Inventory - State database with information on resource management projects throughout California. Query by the species of interest.

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