Cheat Grass (Bromus tectorum) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Cheatgrass is an annual grass widespread in the United States, especially on disturbed ground in the West. Cheatgrass grows early, forms drooping, bristly seedheads, and dries into fuel that can help wildfires spread. Cheatgrass is also called downy brome.

Appearance

Appearance: Plants are usually soft-haired and 6–24 in (15–60 cm) tall. The branched seedhead nods to one side, and each narrow carries a long, straight .
Growth form: It is usually a : seeds sprout in fall, seedlings overwinter, and growth resumes early in spring.
Seasonal forms: The plant is bright green in early spring, often turns purplish while seeds mature, and then dries to tan.

Look-alikes

Japanese bromeBromus japonicus

Look closely at a ripe head: cheatgrass has narrow spikelets with mostly straight awns. Japanese brome has plumper spikelets, and its awns often twist or bend outward, though some remain straight.

Why they get mixed upBoth are hairy annual bromes with loose seedheads.

red bromeBromus rubens

Red brome has a dense, upright seedhead. Cheatgrass has a loose, branched head that droops.

Why they get mixed upBoth can turn reddish as their seeds mature.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: roadsides
rangeland
open disturbed ground
Range: Native to Eurasia, cheatgrass is now widespread in the United States. It is especially common in disturbed sagebrush country in the Interior West.
Preferred conditions: It does well on open, disturbed ground and can grow in both dry rangeland and farm fields.

Life cycle

Reproduction: It reproduces by seed and can finish its life cycle before many neighboring plants have matured.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: In the United States, it is managed as a widespread invasive weed rather than a species of conservation concern.
Threats: Dense stands can replace native plants. After drying, they create continuous and can shorten the time between fires in western shrublands.

10 sources