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Arizona
Range Grasses Back to the Table of Contents
Growth habit: A spring annual, tufted bunchgrass,
usually 8 to 20 inches tall but often less when growing on arid, shallow-soil
sites. The several to numerous stems spread from the base of the plant.
Occurrence Open hillsides, woodland and chaparral areas. Particularly
common on ranges where the original perennial grass cover has deteriorated.
This grass appears to be spreading in Arizona and has been reported
from Coconino, Mohave, Yavapai, Gila, Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. Forage Value Red brome is grazed to some extent during its short growing period but is largely ungrazed after the seedheads mature. The plants are shallow rooted and pull up when grazed. The dirt that clings to the roots is objectionable to grazing animals and accounts in some measure for the plant’s low palatability.
Red brome is most valuable as a forage species when grazed early in the spring to make maximum use of available forage before seedheads mature. On ranges that receive 14 inches or more of rain, where red brome or other annuals make up most of the feed, the possibility of artificial reseeding should be looked into. Most of the ranges that support this grass once grew perennial grasses and can be made to do so again.
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Cooperative
Extension,College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of
Arizona