Smooth Brome, Bromus inermis, is a non-native, cool season grass found throughout Illinois. It grows between two and four feet tall, and it produces rather weak, broad leaves that have an m-shaped crimp across the blades, which you can feel if you run the blade between your fingers. It also has a membranous ligule.

Smooth Brome produces a panicle inflorescence that strongly droops to one side as it senesces. The spikelets are green to red and elongated. This non-native grass spreads rapidly through prairie restorations and other disturbed areas.

This video is part of the Grasses at a Glance series by Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Educator Erin Garrett, University of Illinois Extension. Explore the playlist. Read our blog, Grasses at a Glance.