purple false brome, Brachypodium distachyon, April-June, Europe

Widespread including serpentine, puple false brome, like Lolium, did particulary well in the long cool spring of 2006. Recognize it by the side-to-side compressed, overlapping spikelets, flat side toward the stem, spike-like inflorescence, and white stem nodes. It makes a strong showing just below the Field Station access road and toward the lake, near the goldenaster (Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. echioides) site.

Purple false brome was first noted at JRBP in 1977. It is not included in John Thomas (1961) Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.