Bromus marginatus aka Mountain Brome

Bromus marginatus, or mountain brome, is a perennial bunchgrass. It belongs to the grass family, Poaceae. Its native range runs from western Canada to Central America. It grows in temperate regions, including western North American uplands. Its habitats include moist woods, open meadows, and dry sagebrush hills. It can also grow near the timber line.

Plants form dense, upright clumps with straight or slightly arching stems. They reach about 2–4 feet [0.6–1.2 metres] tall. One garden account gives a height of 3.3 feet [1 metre]. It gives a spread of 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. The flat leaves often have soft hairs on both sides. Their blades measure 4–10 millimetres across. The open flower head is a panicle that droops as it matures. Its flattened spikelets hold several small, plain flowers. Each lemma has a strong keel and a short awn. Wind carries the pollen between flowers. Each flower has both male and female parts. The fruit is a grain, called a caryopsis.

Mountain brome grows in sun or the light shade of woodland. It accepts sandy, loamy, and clay soils with good drainage. It also tolerates mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline ground. Its soil can be dry or moist. The listed USDA hardiness range is zones 3–8. Garden uses include cultivated beds, meadows, and woodland edges. It establishes quickly, which makes it useful for restoring disturbed ground. Its fibrous roots help hold soil on slopes and limit erosion.

The leaves provide forage for livestock, elk, and deer. They offer food in spring and early summer. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. Dense clumps also give ground-dwelling wildlife cover for nesting. People have tied stems into small brooms and hair brushes. Gardeners can raise plants from seed or divide clumps in spring. Seed sown in spring or autumn needs only a thin covering. Germination can take about two weeks.

The seeds are edible after cooking and have recorded Indigenous food uses. They can be parched, boiled, or ground into meal. That meal can make porridge or bread-like foods. The small grains take work to gather and process. Plants For A Future gives them a moderate food-use rating. It records no known medicinal uses and no known hazards. Its account also lists no weed potential. The supplied evidence identifies no particular pests or diseases.