Poaceae
Purple false brome
Brachypodium distachyon
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Brachypodium
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Common names
By language (9)
- Arabic
- دنبان ثنائي السنابل, بروم ارجواني كاذب
- Chinese
- 二穗短柄草
- English
- Purple false brome
- Finnish
- Aroluste
- German
- Zweiährige Zwenke
- Japanese
- ミナトカモジグサ, セイヨウヤマカモジ, ブラキポディウム
- Swedish
- Grusskafting
- Ukrainian
- Куцоніжка двоколоскова
- Welsh
- Breichwellt unflwydd
Synonyms
- Agropyron distachyon (L.) Chevall.
- Brachypodium annuum Sennen
- Brachypodium asperum (DC.) Roem. & Schult.
- Brachypodium brevisetum (DC.) Roem. & Schult.
- Brachypodium ciliatum P.Beauv.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. brevisetum (DC.) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. confusum Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. intermedium Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. mite Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. multiflorum (Willk.) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. paradoxum (Sommier) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. pentastachyon (Tineo) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. platystachyum (Balansa ex Coss.) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. pseudosubtile Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. subtile (Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall.) Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon f. undulatifolium Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon subsp. paui (Sennen) Malag.
- Brachypodium distachyon subvar. gussonii St.-Yves
- Brachypodium distachyon subvar. typicum St.-Yves
- Brachypodium distachyon var. asperum (DC.) Parl.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. brevisetum (DC.) Asch. & Graebn.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. caucasicum K.Koch
- Brachypodium distachyon var. distachyon
- Brachypodium distachyon var. elongatum Lojac.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. genuinum Willk.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. hispidum Pamp.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. monostachyon (Lam.) Guss.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. monostachyum (Poir.) Guss.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. multiflorum Willk.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. neglectum T.Ruíz & Devesa
- Brachypodium distachyon var. paradoxum Sommier
- Brachypodium distachyon var. pentastachyon (Tineo) Guss.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. pentastachyum (Tineo) Asch. & Graebn.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. platystachyon Coss. & Durieu
- Brachypodium distachyon var. platystachyum Balansa ex Coss.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. pluriflorum Oppenh.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. pubescens Maire
- Brachypodium distachyon var. pumilum Willk.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. subtile (Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall.) Lojac.
- Brachypodium distachyon var. undulatum Guss.
and 72 more.
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Graminoid
- Lifespan
- Annual
- In the US and Canada
- Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced
Photos

Photo: Neil Harris, University of Alberta, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The hairy nodes and ciliate hairy leaf blades are distinctive of this species. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Brachypodium_distachyon_%287048610049%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%287048610049%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The brome-like spikelets arranged on wheatgrass-like inflorescences are distinctive of this genus. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902519454%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902519454%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The hairy nodes and ciliate hairy leaf blades are distinctive of this species. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902517928%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902517928%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The brome-like spikelets arranged on wheatgrass-like inflorescences are distinctive of this genus. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902517502%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902517502%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The hairy nodes and ciliate hairy leaf blades are distinctive of this species. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902518978%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902518978%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The brome-like spikelets arranged on wheatgrass-like inflorescences are distinctive of this genus. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Brachypodium_distachyon_%287048608847%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%287048608847%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Purple false brome: The brome-like spikelets arranged on wheatgrass-like inflorescences are distinctive of this genus. [Photo of M. Schmidt collections.]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902516838%29.jpg/1280px-Brachypodium_distachyon_%286902516838%29.jpg)
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.