Bromus gracillimus Bunge

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Blumeria graminis parasitises live Bromus crinitus

A gregarious species of alpine slopes.

Annual. Culms slender, erect or geniculately ascending, 20–40 cm tall, sparsely hairy. Leaf sheaths pubescent; leaf blades flat, 10–15 cm × ca. 3 mm, both surfaces pubescent, margins scabrid; ligule ca. 2 mm. Panicle ovate in outline, lax, 4–10 × 3–5 cm; branches whorled, 4–8 per node, 2–6 cm, glabrous, each bearing 1–4 spikelets. Spikelets broadly elliptic, 5–8 mm, florets 3–6; internodes exposed; lower glume lanceolate, 3–4 mm, 1-veined, upper glume narrowly ovate, 4–5 mm, 3-veined, margins membranous, apex acuminate; lemmas oblanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, 5–7-veined, margins strongly inrolled and sparsely ciliolate, apex minutely 2-toothed, awned from sinus; awn 15–20 mm, slender, straight; palea subequal to lemma, keels ciliolate. Anthers 0.3–0.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug. 2n = 14.

Annual; culms erect or geniculately ascending, up to 45 cm high. Leaf-blades up to 10 cm long and 3.5 mm wide; sheaths pubescent. Panicle ovate, 4-10 cm long, loose and open, the branches whorled. Spikelets broadly elliptical, becoming wedge-shaped, 4-7-flowered, 5.5-8.5 mm long excluding the awns, the lemmas not overlapping, leaving the internodes exposed; lower glume lanceolate, 3-4 mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume narrowly ovate, 4-5.5 mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas oblanceolate in side view, the lowest 3-4.5 mm long, strongly involute, herbaceous, 5-7(-9)-nerved, ciliolate on the margins, minutely 2-toothed with a straight awn 12-20 mm long from between the teeth; palea as long as the lemma, ciliolate on the keels; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long.

Xinjiang, W Xizang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia (Iran)].

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan, N. W. F. P. & Kashmir); Iran to the western Himalayas; Turkestan.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: April-July.

Mountain slopes, river banks, grassy places among thickets; 2000–3400(–4200) m.

Nevskiella gracillima (Bunge) V. I. Kreczetowicz & Vvedensky.