| cheatgrass | USDA PLANTS Symbol: BRTE U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Grass or Grasslike |
| Bromus tectorum L. |
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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae |
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| Synonym(s): downy brome, early chess, military grass, thatch bromegrass | |
| Native Range: Africa, temp. & trop. Asia, Europe (GRIN); | |
Cheatgrass is an annual grass that forms tufts up to 2 ft. (0.6 m) tall. The leaves and sheaths are covered in short, soft hairs. The flowers occur as drooping, open, terminal clusters that can have a greenish, red, or purple hue. Flowering occurs in the early summer. These annual plants will germinate in fall or spring (fall is more common), and senescence usually occurs in summer. Cheatgrass invades rangelands, pastures, prairies, and other open areas. Cheatgrass has the potential to completely alter the ecosystems it invades. It can completely replace native vegetation and change fire regimes. It occurs throughout the United States and Canada, but is most problematic in areas of the western United States with lower precipitation levels. Cheatgrass is native to Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. It was first introduced into the United States accidentally in the mid 1800s. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
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| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Fruit(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Ligule Fred Fishel, University of Missouri, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Ligule Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); habit Forest & Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Inflorescence close-up Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Root(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Tom Heutte, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Native to the Mediterranean region, is one of the most widespread weeds in the American West. John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Misc. Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 274. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
| EDDMapS Distribution: This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org Alternative content
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 State(s) Where Reported invasive. Based on state level agency and organization lists of invasive plants from WeedUS database. Alternative content
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