Festuca bromoides
Brome fescue
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Festuca bromoides (Brome fescue) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by dense inflorescence above leaves and winged stalks.
Brome fescue is a naturalized annual grass found in the California Floristic Province and Mojave Desert in dry, disturbed places, coastal-sage scrub, and chaparral at elevations generally below 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this grass produces green to brown spikelets 5 to 10 millimeters long with delicate awns. Growing with slender stems up to 50 centimeters tall, which are either glabrous or slightly hairy, it forms dense clusters of grass blades. Its leaves are narrow and linear, typical of grass species, with spikelets containing 4 to 7 individual florets. Each spikelet features distinctive lemmas with awns ranging from 2.5 to 12 millimeters long, giving the plant a feathery, delicate appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species. Distinguished by dense inflorescence above leaves and winged stalks
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dry, disturbed places, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral
Elevation: generally < 1500 m
California counties: Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Tulare, Los Angeles, Inyo, Calaveras, Placer, Butte, Mendocino, Contra Costa, Fresno, Sonoma, San Mateo, Colusa, Tehama, Marin, Alameda, San Diego, Siskiyou, Shasta, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Imperial, San Francisco, Tuolumne, Santa Clara, San Benito, Solano, Yolo, Lake, Kern, Madera
Outside California: to British Columbia, eastern United States, Baja California, native to Europe
Bloom period
Festuca bromoides blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Bromus: Festuca sheaths split open; Bromus sheaths stay closed around the stem.; vs Lolium: Festuca spikelets branch from multiple points; Lolium spikelets sit flat against one side of stem.; vs Aciphylla: Festuca is a grass with thin blade leaves; Aciphylla has rigid spine-tipped tufts.; vs Poa: Festuca lemmas have 5+ veins; Poa lemmas show only 3-5 veins with cobwebby hairs at base.; vs Muhlenbergia: Festuca has multi-flowered chunky spikelets; Muhlenbergia has delicate single-flowered tiny spikelets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Festuca bromoides native to California?
No. Festuca bromoides is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Festuca bromoides bloom?
Festuca bromoides blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Festuca bromoides grow?
Festuca bromoides occurs in Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Tulare, Los Angeles, Inyo, Calaveras, Placer and other counties, at elevations of generally < 1500 m.
What plant family does Festuca bromoides belong to?
Festuca bromoides is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
What habitat does Festuca bromoides grow in?
Festuca bromoides grows in Dry, disturbed places, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.