Soft Brome - Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus (B. mollis)
Family - Poaceae
Also known as - Soft Chess, Bull Grass, Blubber Grass

Soft Brome - Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus, click for a larger image
Photo ©2006–
Click photo for a larger image

Common throughout the UK Soft Brome is a loosely tufted annual, sometimes biennial grass native growing to between 15–100cm (6–40in) in waste places, meadows, verges, grassy and open habitats.  Wind pollinated flower heads appear from May to July and seed is set from May to early August, the leaves are a grey–green, flat, finely pointed and limp, softly short haired.  Botanical description for Mollis

It is common on arable land and a weed problem in cereal crops, once established it grows very quickly.  Remains green through the winter but vegetative growth occurs mainly in the autumn and spring.  Genotypical and Phenotypical variation occurs in B. hordeaceus with four recognised sub species in the UK.

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