Bromus briziformis

Rattlesnake chess, Rattlesnake Chess

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Rattlesnake chess is a naturalized annual grass found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau in open places at elevations of 1,250 to 1,830 meters. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces nodding, open inflorescences with spikelets 15 to 27 millimeters long. Growing 17 to 70 centimeters tall with distinctively hairy leaf sheaths, it spreads in loose, delicate clusters. Its grass blades are 1.5 to 5 millimeters wide and covered in soft hairs, with tiny ligules measuring 0.5 to 2 millimeters long. Its inflated lemmas have strongly raised veins and barely noticeable teeth, giving the plant a soft, delicate appearance.

Habitat: Open places

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1250-1830 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, n SN, MP

California counties: Modoc, Plumas, Amador, Lassen, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Marin, Tuolumne, Sonoma, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.