Common names (selected) English: bromegrass, cheat, cheatgrass, cock grass, common chess, chess, chess brome, rye brome, rye bromegrass; Chinese: 黑麦状雀麦 (rye-shaped brome); French: brome des champs, brome des seigles, brome faux-seigle, seglin, seigle bâtard; German: Roggen-Trespe; Italian: bromo segaline, forasacco delle messi, forasacco segalino, segala lanaiuola; Polish: stoklosa zytnia; Portuguese: bromo-centeio, capim-cevadinha; Spanish: bromo del centeno, bromo secalino, pasto valcheta
Description: Annual grass
Native regions and distribution: Native to Europe, temperate Asia, northern Africa. Found widely across the U.S. and Canada, including in Alaska. Currently found on every continent except Antarctica.
Urban habitat: Commonly found along roadsides, railroad tracks, in vacant lots, waste areas, and abandoned fields. It is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types and thrives in full sun.
Ecological function: Disturbance-adapted colonizer. Food for insects, wildlife, and livestock.
History / human uses: Bromus derives from the Greek word bromo meaning food which was in Classical times the Greek name for oats. Secalinus is a reference to it being found in rye. Bromus secalinus is considered to be a serious agricultural weed, infesting winter rye, wheat, and other cereal crops. it has been spread most likely through contaminated grain shipments to North America, Australia and elsewhere. It has been consumed as food in times of famine to make gruel and bread. It is sometimes used as an ornamental in flower arrangements